


The Beast Dancer

by Rinoa11



Category: Haikyuu!!
Genre: Alternate Universe - Fantasy, Belly Dancing, Fictional Religion & Theology, M/M, Nature Magic, Old Gods, Temple Rituals, magical curses
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-05-19
Updated: 2016-06-15
Packaged: 2018-06-09 11:14:24
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 9
Words: 27,022
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6903559
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Rinoa11/pseuds/Rinoa11
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>The Legend tells of a great Beast bringing destruction to the town, sent down by the gods to punish them for their mortal folly. For ten days and nights the Beast wrought tremors and chaos on the earth, causing panic and terror to spread throughout the land. Until one day a brave hero sealed away the beast after a grand fight.</p><p>The Legends also say that the Beast Dancers who seal the Beast away are destined for paradise. Suga wondered about what paradise was like. The priests in the temple told him that he would live a life of bliss as thanks for helping to seal the Beast away. All Suga hoped for was that it would be filled with fields of flowers as far as the eye could see.</p><p>It is an honour to be chosen.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Silk Dance

The Legend tells of a great Beast bringing destruction to the town, sent down by the gods to punish them for their mortal folly. For ten days and nights the Beast wrought tremors and chaos on the earth, causing panic and terror to spread throughout the land. Until one day a brave hero sealed away the Beast after a grand fight.

Suga stood in the grand temple that had been his home for many years, listening to the head priest of the land tell the story again. Children acted out the legend for all the crowds in front of the temple entrance to see waiting for his part to commence. The crowds cheered and applauded at all the right spots, throwing paper flowers and placing tribute to the temple in front of the stage. Suga watched through the window the large puppet of the Beast being struck down by a small child dressed as a warrior. Trepidation churned in his stomach. He had trained for years for this moment, chosen at a young age to become the next Beast Dancer. It was a great honour to be chosen.

“And now we witness again the new Beast Dancer come forth! The one who shall keep us safe from the Beast sealed beneath the earth! Reminding us of our need to strive for perfection in our lives and in our souls!” The Priest bellowed, the signal for Suga to emerge from the temple, cloaked in pure white and the crowd’s cheers rose to a deafening roar in the sweltering midday sun.

It was a great honour to be chosen as the Beast Dancer, Suga reminded himself over and over again as he looked out at the people of his home. His task would be to dance to maintain the seal of the Sealed Temple. He had been trained and primed for this, he had nothing to fear. Through his nerves he smiled and nodded graciously at the crowd before bowing so low he almost touched his toes. The men and women fell to his feet as he passed through them, temple guards and musicians helping to clear a path for him. Suga was paraded through the streets in the high heat to the sound of the singing crowd, all offering their prayers and hopes to the gods. They hoped to lend him strength in keeping the seal in the Sealed Temple, singing songs to please the gods all the way to the edge of the town where the elders and a carriage waited for him.

The crowd fell silent as Suga came to a stop before the elders. These men had been so kind to him in his time of training, encouraging him and praising the beauty of his dance. They reminded Suga often that he should be grateful for this chance to please the gods; that he should be grateful to offer his gift of dance to their glory to keep the Beast sealed away.

Suga tuned out the speeches, he knew what they were saying. They had told him the same things time and time again, how he was their pride and joy but they never told him what he was going to do. All this time training and learning the dances and he never thought to ask what he would face.

“I don’t know what I’m doing. I don’t know what I’m facing. It is an honour to be chosen.” Echoed throughout his very being as he smiled and waved for the crowds one last time. He didn’t know if he would ever see any of them again.

No one knew where the previous dancers went. The Legends say that they are taken by the gods to live in paradise. That the Beast Dancers are destined for paradise. Suga wondered about what paradise was like. The priests in the temple told him that he would live a life of bliss as thanks for helping to seal the Beast away. All Suga hoped for was that it would be filled with fields of flowers as far as the eye could see.

The only flowers he could see now were the paper flowers being thrown into the air as he climbed into the carriage, the vast colours being reduced to pinpricks as the carriage moved further and further away from the town and deeper into the barren wild.

The dusty paths of the town soon gave way to the dry rock and sand with the vast blue sky spread out before them. Suga felt bad for the horses and the driver who had to deal with the unbearable heat, unprotected by the shade of the carriage. Suga even tried to start a conversation, hoping to maybe gain some insight into what the temple was like.

“You will see it when you get there” was the only response he got from the driver, leaving Suga to become content and lulled into a sleep by the rhythmic beat of the hooves.

Suga awoke bleary eyed and disorientated when the carriage bumped roughly hours later. Upon peering out the window he saw that the sun was beginning to descend, turning the sky to a blood red shade and the terrain had changed. They reached a crater and they were heading inside. What Suga saw in front of the temple made him gasp. It was the oddest and most beautiful sight that Suga had ever seen. A large and brilliant tree with crimson blossoms, bursting out from the branches like flames. The setting rays of the sun only enhanced the effect but as they disappeared behind the horizon the tree turned black, shrivelling up and rotting in an instant. The blossoms died and dropped at Suga’s feet as he emerged shaken from the carriage to be greeted by the Grand Priest.

“The Beast has taken much from the land, including the gift left by the gods in thanks for the last Beast Dancer.” The old man in robes of red and gold intricate enough to match his title gestured to the tree that was now dead before leading him inside of the Sealed Temple. This grand white pillared building would be Suga’s home from now on until he was to be whisked away to paradise.

Inside was a luxurious affair. Intricate tapestries and golden ornaments lined the marble corridors. In Suga’s opinion it was more like a palace than a temple.

The Grand Priest silently led Suga to his room, even more extravagant than the corridors that they had passed through. Large wooden doors opened to a richly coloured room in reds golds and purples, something akin to a royal bedroom with a large bed covered in a silk canopy. But what captured Suga’s attention was a grand tapestry hanging at the other end of the room, a grand blooming tree just like the one he had seen rot outside. “Why is this place so lavish?” he asked feeling considerably out of his depth and unworthy of this treatment. This was nothing compared to the temple in the City.

“It is what the Gods require” was the terse response he received as the Grand Priest gestured towards a man that stood respectfully before them. He seemed to be about Suga’s age and was dressed in simpler robes than the Grand Priest. “It is time for you to prepare for the ceremony. He shall be your attendant during your time here. There are other priests who attend to this temple but it would be…. Unwise for you to mix with them. If you have any wishes outside of your duties then this servant is yours to command. I will see you before you descend.” With that explanation the Grand Priest left in a flourish of robes leaving Suga and his new servant alone in his new quarters.

Suga watched the Grand Priest leave in silence before his attention was shifted to his servant politely gesturing to a doorway that Suga hadn’t noticed before, being too distracted by the tapestry. “If your eminence would like to come this way, we’ll begin the purification for tonight’s ceremony.”

“Yes of course but please call me Suga” he replied, feeling the weight of the title the servant called him too great for him to bear. He needed to break the ice, he needed to find some footing in this strange temple. If he could make friends here then his time here would be easier and less boring. He was glad to be attended by someone his own age rather the old pious men he was used to. “I would like to know your name too of course and anything good you have to tell me about this place” a kind smile lighting up his features before he winked.

The servant returned the smile and then looked down at the ground for a moment, almost shyly, a blush coating his cheeks, causing a small giggle to burst from Suga’s lips. “It would be uncouth for me to be so forward with you but if you wish to know my name is Ennoshita.” A pout from Suga followed as he was led into the purification room as Ennoshita told him little else, scurrying over to a basin of water that had been prepared for him to wash his hands in.

“Please Ennoshita. I’d like to know more about my home! Pretty please!” he begged as the cloak was unclasped from his shoulders.

A sigh followed soon after along with a look of apology. “I’m sorry your eminen… Suga… I can’t right now. I have to get you ready for the ceremony but later, tomorrow morning I promise I will tell you anything that I can but now I have to do the incantations in order to prepare your body and soul.”

“Fine… I’ll be good but you make good on your promise tomorrow okay!” Ennoshita’s nod satisfied Suga before he was met with a wall of softly sung incantations that Suga could not ever hope to understand.

The ritual began with Ennoshita lighting incense, continuing his song. Suga felt the melody creep its way deep into his bones. All he need to do was put his trust in Ennoshita and let him strip him completely before being led to a pool of sweetly fragrant water where he was washed from head to toe from all the impurities of the journey.

Somewhere in the middle of the ritual a trance had taken over him, a strange unearthly calm settling into his very being with every breath of incense he inhaled, with every piece of clothing and every jewel that was placed upon him. He felt the comforting need to dance, something he knew so well and the yearning to do his best to help his people, to keep the scourge of the Beast at bay. Deep in his heart he wished an arrogant wish. That his dancing would bring back that beautiful tree he saw and paint the barren lands of the desert in green lush grass, filled with flowers as far as the eye could see.

It was with this wish that he descended past the tapestry that had been silently pulled aside by Ennoshita, determination in his heart to seal the Beast away and heal the land, draped in little more than pale white silks and silver bells that rang gently with each step he took deep into the dark pits of the temple.

Suga thought that he would only find the sacred mark on the ground where the Beast was sealed beneath the earth but as he stepped on the glyph that faintly glowed in the darkness he discovered that he was wrong.

The Beast ran towards him with a deafening roar, causing the ground to shake and the bells on Suga’s form to ring and his veil to billow behind him, only to be held back by the chains that kept it in place. It felt like the Beast wanted him to leave. Red eyes glowed angrily in the darkness, sharp claws swiped close to Suga’s face and deadly white teeth snapped at him but Suga stayed determined. He was the only hope that the temple and his home had. He ignored the Beast’s roars and began the dance he was born to do.

From the temple above he could hear the music call down to him. All he needed to do was let his body remember the steps. “I will not let you hurt my home” was his silent prayer as his hips swayed slowly along with the beat, his hands twisting high into the air causing the bells to rattle in time with the beat.

The glyph on the floor glowed brighter as the dance continued, rolling up Suga’s body in sensual waves, his hips twisting this way and that way towards each of the cardinal points of the seal. He spun and leapt through the air like a blossom in the wind, the silks swirling around him in a white and silver flurry. When he clicked his fingers, his arms waving from side to side in an arch, the torches in the room burst into a blue flame.

That was when the pain started. Deep in Suga’s core, a sharp pain, unlike anything he ever felt before. He locked eyes with the Beast, foot stamping hard on the ground. Maybe it was trying to hurt him? But Beast’s eyes held no anger or hatred for him. Instead the Beast stepped towards him with a whimper its head bowed, pawing the ground. The pain seared and scorched white hot but Suga danced on, gasping for air desperately. He would not be tricked! He would dance through the pain, letting the music carry him off and his body to click into habit.

All night Suga danced, the seal on the ground glowing brighter and brighter, the music growing louder and louder, his dance going faster and faster until Suga could dance no more and he fell to a crumpled heap on the ground, darkness overtaking his vision, he prayed to the gods to protect him from sharp jaws of the beast.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you so much for reading this! I'm really excited about this fic! I hope you enjoy it as much as I've enjoyed writing it! I really would love to hear what you think.
> 
> If you'd like to yell at me I'm Rinoa11 on Twitter and Tumblr.
> 
> Have a lovely day!


	2. Spear Dance

Ennoshita’s concerned face was the first thing Suga saw when he woke up back in his bed. How he got there, he didn’t know, he just knew that he hurt. It felt like something had burrowed deep beneath his skin and messed up his insides. Like a disease violently taking root in his very being, crawling through each part of him until he was swallowed whole.

There was so much about last night that didn’t make sense, thinking about it gave him a headache. Didn’t anyone know that the Beast was only downstairs and not sealed beneath the earth like they had been told? It wouldn’t make sense for them to be so calm if they hadn’t been

“Thank the Gods!” were the words he heard as Ennoshita rose to leave his side, presumably to tell the Grand Priest that he was okay. Suga didn’t want him to leave and desperately reached out to grab the sleeve of his robes.

“No… don’t leave. Please” Suga begged feeling utterly pathetic for his miserable feelings. He just couldn’t bear to be alone in the room with the Beast still downstairs. It was all fine and well when he felt strong enough to dance but right now he couldn’t protect anyone, much less himself. Relief came when Ennoshita smiled kindly at him, a guarded smile but a kind one nonetheless.

“I’m only going to get your breakfast Suga. It’ll be good for you to eat. The Grand Priest said you pushed yourself too hard last night.” Yet Suga still clung to his sleeve, pulling Ennoshita insistently, enough for Ennoshita to sit back down on the large bed next to him with a soft sigh. “I will probably be told off for this…” he mumbled, watching the door nervously for anyone who may choose to enter.

“I’ll take the blame! I just don’t want to be left alone right now….” Suga fell silent and looked at the tapestry that hid the door for a moment too long to be appropriate. “Besides, you promised you’d tell me about this place” he gently reminded Ennoshita, shifting his body closer to him to look up at him under thick silvery lashes. Ennoshita blushed and cleared his throat looking back towards the door of the room.

“There’s not much to tell. This is the Sealed Temple, the grounds where the Beast is sealed. There are priests and guards here to ensure the safety of the people. There’s not much to do except for pray for the efforts of the Beast Dancer and contribute towards the grand chorus but I’ve now been given the job of being your caretaker so that’s something different to do I suppose…” He tailed off and looked down at Suga, noticing the silver locks sticking to his forehead in sweat. It would be so easy to just push them back and brush them back into place. They looked soft.

“What did you do before I came before? Did you know the last Beast Dancer?” Suga was filled with questions. If he could find someone who knew the previous Beast Dancer then he could ask if they felt the same pain that he did or if it was just him pushing himself.

“I was and still am the keeper of the Sealed Temple’s library and no I did not very well. We never spoke but we are still here by their grace and the will of the Gods. I never knew any of the others either before you ask…” Ennoshita bowed his head solemnly for a moment out of respect for the previous dancer. Suga sighed and nodded flopping back on the bed.

“I hurt” he moaned, turning towards Ennoshita, resting his face on the back of his hands delicately.

Ennoshita noted how otherworldly every movement Suga made was. It was like he belonged elsewhere entirely. Too full of grace and beauty to be chained to this mortal plane, just like the last Beast Dancer. “As I said, you pushed yourself too much last night. Once you have breakfast you will feel better and then you can go about your duties as you see fit.” He rose and ignored any protests that Suga may have. Despite Suga’s wish to take the blame of the situation (and it was his fault afterall), the Grand Priest would not accept any folly on his part.

What Ennoshita didn’t expect was after breakfast, Suga followed him around like a baby duckling. Gliding behind him from place to place, through the courtyards and into the library where he kept the records and the books. He constantly asked questions about different things from the books he kept to what they passed as they crossed the courtyard.

“What book is that? What are the guards doing? What are those priests doing? What are you doing? Where is all this water coming from? Why does grass grow here?” It was enough to make Ennoshita want to scream. If only Suga genuinely wasn’t so curious and sincere, his eyes growing so big and almost sparkling in excitement at every new thing he spotted, maybe he would.

But Ennoshita was a patient and pious man so he kept his cool and carefully considered each answer. “It is a book of scripture. The guards are here for your protection. The priests are performing the daily rituals of this temple. No one knows where the water comes from and no one knows why the grass grows.”

Eventually Suga had grown satisfied with each answer he had to give and ended up wandering back into the courtyard to enjoy the sunshine of the day, suitably distracted by the birds that were bathing in the fountain. They splashed and danced around on the edge of the marble. watching the guards perform their drills. A small group taking a break in the shade caught his attention.

There were three of them talking and laughing away. One of them in particular caught Suga’s attention. Tanned and muscular in golden armour that glinted in the sun with dark hair and darker eyes. It was enough to cause a flutter in Suga’s chest until the man with long hair and a beard spotted the younger one with golden orange hair waving over to him with a great big smile, still a child really, and paled in panic before shushing him. They left after that leaving Suga alone again, quickly moving away from where he sat. He supposed that he should be used to it, the isolation of his duty.  Then he felt the prickle of an uncomfortable presence at the back of his neck, causing him to turn around only to spot the Grand Priest standing at the window, eyes lingering on him for too long. The old man’s eyes raking up and down his seated form with a languidness that made his skin itch. The itch didn’t leave until Suga had left the courtyard, seeking shelter in his suites.

When he felt better he practiced in a room that was assigned to him. He took comfort in the way his body obeyed his desires and mused over what sort of dance he should do tonight. Something that made him feel in control would be good. Through the window he could see the little guard who smiled at him earlier curiously peek at what he was doing. He was holding a spear, a long and sturdy thing, much too big for his small frame. Suga leaned out the window languidly and reached out a pale arm to wave him over after checking that no one was watching. The bracelets on his arms clinked gently, glittering golden in the sunlight.

The small guard stood to attention and pointed at himself as if to ask ‘Me?” to which Suga smiled and nodded, slipping his whole body out through the window to sit on the sill, crossing his legs. The way the young man trotted towards him reminded him of a small puppy filled with boundless enthusiasm, his golden armour jumping up and down on his body.

“Hello there!” Suga greeted the guard who’s enthusiasm began to waver as he spoke, possibly regretting his actions Suga mused. He probably had been told that he was not allowed to speak with him.

“Y-Your Eminence!” the guard chirped, bowing comically low, almost folding himself in half at the effort. “W-What do I have the honour of your audience for…with…” he babbled almost nonscencially. Formal speech did not fit well in the boy’s mouth and on closer inspection, he was still really just a boy.

“It’s alright, you’re not in trouble or anything” Suga began with an empathetic smile, his voice kind waving his hand easily to try and comfort the boy. “And please don’t bother using fancy speech you’re not used to. Talk with me like you normally would. I don’t know what anyone else told you but I like to be talked to normally, okay?” The boy relaxed and smiled bashfully nodding and twisting his hands around the spear, unable to keep himself still.

“Y-yes s-sorry!!!” he squeaked, voice pitching itself too high and cracking awkwardly before he cleared his throat and tried again. “Ummm why do you want to talk to me s-sir? I’m only a footman, nothin’ special…”

“I would like to borrow something of yours.” He pointed at the spear the boy held in his hands. “May I borrow your spear tonight?”

“F-For the ceremony?”

Suga’s smile widened and he nodded. “Yes. I’ll return it tomorrow once I’ve used it but I would like to borrow yours if I may?”

The boy nodded fiercely and practically shoved the spear into Suga’s grip, hair standing up to become a great orange puff as he brushed Suga’s soft fingers with his own calloused ones. “T-Thank you for doing so much for us s-sir! I’m happy to help as much as possible.”

Suga’s laughter only made matters worse for the poor boy, the melodious tone setting fire to his face and causing a flutter in his heart. “I’m glad to do what is required of me. Please do not call me sir though. That’s much too stuffy for my tastes. Just Suga will do.” He winked and the boy nodded again, sent into a dumb silence only to realize that Suga looking at him expectantly was probably because he wanted his name in return.

“H-Hinata. I’m Hinata! It’s nice to meet you! I-I gotta go…. Or else Asahi and everyone else will be worried.” With those words he ran off just as he came, a bounce and a leap, through the courtyard, only stopping to turn once to be waved off by Suga’s sweet smile. It was as if he were checking that Suga was real and not just a dream he had conjured up in the afternoon heat.

Evening brought a cool relief to everyone in the temple complex and also rang in the duties that Suga needed to fulfil. As with the night before Ennoshita prepared him, washing him with chants, feeding him liquids that tasted foul (he spat them out into the plants when Ennoshita wasn’t looking) and incense that smelled sickly sweet before dressing Suga. As with the night before Ennoshita dressed him in clothes so luxurious that Suga felt almost stifled. For a moment he saw the Grand Priest in his mind’s eye and shuddered as the chains of jewels were draped on top of the colourful silks and veils on his body. The orderly and methodical way Ennoshita dressed him made him realize that these combinations had been preordained. Were these a pattern or had someone specifically chosen them for him. A look in the mirror standing next to him and the sight of his ass peeking through the slit in the fabric made him feel like this was no coincidence. He looked too good, too beautiful and too delectable to simply have had this thrown together. That or Ennoshita was just a good dresser.

Ennoshita left him with a bow and a kind smile that wished him well, not bothering to stay with him until he descended the stairs like the night before. Suga breathed a sigh of relief at this as he reached under the bed for the spear that he had borrowed from Hinata. He was unsure if he would be allowed to bring this downstairs and he didn’t feel like explaining to Ennoshita that the Beast really did live just down those steps instead of underground like everyone seemed to think. Taking a moment to collect himself, he gripped the spear tightly in his hands and took a deep breath as he drew the tapestry to one side and opened the large wooden doors to reveal the dark staircase. He swore in his heart that tonight would be different. He would not push himself, he would be in control and he would not push himself.

Knowledge calmed his heart as he descended into the depths to be greeted by the songs of the temple and the glowing glyph on the floor. The Beast was yet to show himself. It didn’t matter, Suga knew what to expect, he was not going to be afraid. He had a spear and would protect himself if need be but he still needed to dance.

Suga closed his eyes and felt the beat in his heart, the beat in the song. It travelled up through his body like a warm liquid, making his feet itch and his hips swirl around. His body twisted elegantly as he brought his hands up to the air, spinning the spear above his head and around his body. He was not afraid. He imagined he was a fire dancer he had seen from the temple window back in the city. The way she danced with such joy in her heart as she swirled the balls of fire around her body.

This spear was his fire, the knowledge of keeping everyone safe was his joy. The spear spun in circles around him to match his sensuous body, feet stamping on the cardinal points of the glyph hard enough to make the jewels on his body quiver and tremble.

But the Beast rumbled in the darkness, a deep sound, deeper than earth, deeper than memory. The sound pulsed and shook through his body and Suga felt something click deep inside. Hips swayed up and his stomach quivered for a moment. His eyes found the Beast in the darkness, locking with them with great intensity as he slammed the tip of the spear into the earth. All of the lamps burst to life and for a moment Suga swore he saw something that was not a beast but he blinked and it was gone.

His hands gripped the spear that had been lodged into the ground and he tested its sturdiness. Sure enough it was stuck there and would be stuck there until he removed it. Suga plucked a silken veil from his body and danced around the spear, swishing his hips with every skip and flicking the silk at the form of the Beast. The violet flames reflected of the dark fur on his body, looking soft like a dog’s pelt. Suga swished the silk around the spear and smiled, sending his prayer for the safety of everyone to the heavens before he launched his body in a fluid motion around the spear.

His body twisted around the golden shaft like he was a silver snake coiling around a golden tree. Sliding his way around it down to the bottom. And then the glow of the glyph grew stronger and the pain came back stronger and he gripped his chest with a cry.

He looked at the Beast again and whispered into the air “Are you doing this to me?” and all the Beast could do was paw and nose at the ground with a whimper, like a sorry, sad dog. But Suga rose from the ground despite the pain and willed his body to carry on despite the pain.

It only got worse, the glow only got brighter Suga felt like he was no longer in control and the Beast howled into the cavernous depths of the room, only for Suga to hear. He was scared, so scared, they both were.

Pure white flooded his vision as he fell to the ground. Silence filled his world once again only to be replaced by the sound of chains straining themselves, clanging loudly against the floor and the sound of someone desperately begging for him to wake up. It was a kind voice, a deep voice, he wanted to know who it belonged to. But Suga was too tired, too sore, too weak.

He smiled weakly and found it in himself to mumble reassuringly before darkness took him to the land of unconsciousness, his cheek pressed on the cold dirt floor, “It’s all right… I’ll be fine… It is what the Gods require.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you everyone for your lovely support! Your comments and kudos really make my day! 
> 
> If you'd like to speak to me more I'm on Twitter and Tumblr as Rinoa11
> 
> I wish you all a lovely day!


	3. Temptation Dance

The cavern grew darker and darker the longer that Suga lay on the floor. The carvings on the wall becoming invisible as the violet flames flickered away one by one until only the faint glow of the glyph on the floor lit the room. A constant light source, a constant reminder of what kept him here. A constant source of agony over hundreds of years for the Beast. In the silence of the cavern he watched the silk of Suga’s outfit flow upwards as black inky tendrils spouted up from the ground before stabbing themselves into Suga’s pale back.

Frustration and anger bubbled up inside of him as he tried to fight and lunge forward towards Suga. The ground shook and rumbled, beginning to crack. He could feel the chains creak and give just a little but they would not snap. Nothing would make them snap. The chains would forever continue to hold him back locked to the wall as he went from growling and snapping to yelling and pleading. If he would only wake up. If he would only move or do something then he wouldn’t have to suffer.

The way that Suga danced was truly something to behold, something worthy of love and respect, not to be trapped underground here to seal him away. It reminded him of his freedom, it reminded him of the forests and the birds and the unspoiled land that was once his home. The way the rivers moved through the land, swift and fluid. The way the stars sparkled in the sky and glimmered placed there by his dear sister. But Suga, Suga was like the moon itself, a silvery beauty touched down to earth to bathe him in its glow. Gentle and soft. Suga’s dance was all for him, all for this curse. And for what?

The answer came walking down the stairs, cloaked in luxurious red and gold. The Grand Priest surrounded in a halo of orange light as he descended. He took one look at the Beast, growling and snarling and snapping before picking Suga up off the floor like a doll that had been discarded by a child.

“This is my favourite one by far” he gloated, brushing a strand of hair out of Suga’s hair in front of the beast, caressing his cheek. “Perfect blooms like him don’t come along often.” The Grand Priest’s voice dropped to the husky depths and spoke more to himself than the Beast. “We’ll just have to make sure to enjoy him while we can, won’t we?” Then he turned away and ascended the stairs leaving the Beast alone in the darkness, with only the dim light of the glyph to comfort him. His howl could be heard from the top of the stairs as the doors shut.

The Grand Priest deposited Suga on the bed, arranging his unconscious body in a manner that was pleasing to him, the gaps in his clothes revealing just enough to tantalize the older man, silken skin begging to be touched and caressed by his hands. So perfect, so tempting and all his, just like the rest of them. He licked his lips and reached out to drag his thumb over the rosebud lips before Ennoshita burst into the room to take care of his morning duties, a tray of food in his arms ready for Suga’s breakfast

“M-My Lord!” he yelped, startled by the sight of the Grand Priest looming over Suga’s defenceless body, carefully setting down the tray so he didn’t drop it.

“It is alright young one” the Grand Priest placated, straightening himself up. “I was merely checking that he was still breathing, that is all. It seems the Beast has yet again overwhelmed him. Please take care of him adequately.”

He handed Ennoshita a letter from the sleeve of his robes as he left the room. Another set of instructions on how to dress Suga. Ennoshita knew that if he questioned the Grand Priest’s decisions he would be met with the same one liner the old man would use time and time again “It is what the Gods require.” That was all fine and well but something about the entire situation just didn’t sit right to Ennoshita. He never noticed it before, never questioned it, it was none of his business, he was the librarian not the caretaker. Now he had Suga placed into his watchful care, the whole thing just began to smell rotten and he was determined to find out what was happening.

Suga predictably woke up terrified and in pain. A bath and breakfast would sort that out. Ennoshita made sure that he had taken food with him this time so he wouldn’t have to leave Suga alone. After he had eaten his fill Ennoshita ushered the disorientated dancer into the bathroom adjacent to his chambers and filled the tub. Suga watched with curiousity, poking his fingers into the water as it filled up, watching the bubbles form as Ennoshita added various concoctions.

“In you go” he said gesturing to the sweet smelling bath. “A night of dancing will make anyone smelly, even someone as beautiful as yourself.”

It was now Suga’s turn to turn scarlet at the compliment as he stripped off without shame before lowering himself into the bath. A moan of gratitude escaped his lips and he leaned back to enjoy the hot water easing the aches and pains for the night before.

“This is wonderful. I’ve never had a bath like this before” Suga sighed as he washed himself free of the sweat and dirt that glazed his skin. When Ennoshita reached over for Suga’s shoulders to rub them soothingly he turned to jelly in the tub. “I think you’re my new favourite person Ennoshita, this is bliss!” he cooed, all worries and pains leaving him for a few moments as he enjoyed being pampered.

Ennoshita smiled and left Suga to it, leaving some simple cotton robes for him to wear during the day. When the door closed he sighed and scratched his head awkwardly thinking of anything that he could do to help Suga feel better. Something was clearly afoot, but what it was he didn’t know. He methodically thought through what he did know.

  1. The Grand Priest has expressly forbid Suga from speaking to anyone but himself and Ennoshita.
  2. Suga has emerged the past two nights awaking disorientated and in pain.
  3. There is little knowledge on what the Dancers do downstairs.
  4. The Grand Priest chooses out Suga’s outfits.



Nothing seemed to be correlating in his brain. He tried to make points fit together but all that occurred was a headache. Suga had now emerged from the tub, refreshed and fluffy from a towel dry, smelling of jasmine and ready to do whatever was needed of him.

“What’s wrong Ennoshita” Suga asked elegantly tilting his head, showing of the graceful curve of his neck as he approached to tap his brow. “You’re scrunching here”

Ennoshita moved away with a chuckle and shook his head. The tension started to dissipate. “It’s nothing, I was just wondering if you’d like to go back to the library with me today. There’s some books I need to sort through and I was wondering if you could keep me company.”

“Yes! Of course I’d be glad to!” Ennoshita couldn’t help but smile at the enthusiastic answer. His heart warmed at the kindness Suga showed the guards, smiling and waving to Hinata as they passed him by. Even the shy Asahi blushed at Suga’s infectious joy.

“Why do you give them such attention?” Ennoshita asked when they finally got into the cool shade of the library. “If you get caught interacting with them you might get in trouble…” Ennoshita needed to protect Suga until he could figure out what was going on, but he couldn’t bear to isolate him himself. He turned his attention to the books on the shelves, silence having filled the room as Suga hummed and thought about his answer, sitting down at a nearby desk while Ennoshita gathered piles of books.

“They remind me of the children and the priests in the temple I grew up in… Besides it’s my job to be a beacon of hope for everyone. What better way to bring hope to people than giving them a smile and a kind word?” Nostalgia filled his voice as Suga drew patterns on the table with his finger. “This place is so stuffy in comparison. So many rules and ways of doing things… It’s almost absurd. I don’t like it much.” He stiffened up for a second, smile growing strained as he tried to backpedal. “I-I mean…. It is an honour to be chosen! And I am grateful to be given the opportunity to help so many people, truly, in my heart if I’m helping so many people then my feelings are insignificant but…” A sigh. “It’s hard, you know. I’m sure it will get easier but it’s very hard.”

Ennoshita hummed and plopped some books down on the table before settling down next to Suga. Comforting words were not really his forte. He tried to find them but instead leafed through the books that he had chosen and found a picture for Suga.

“Did you know that the land used to look like this?” The picture was filled with forests and greenery beyond Suga’s comprehension. He carefully flicked through the pages, mesmerized by all of the colourful flowers that dotted the pages. Ennoshita smiled and pulled out another book from the pile and turned to a page, holding it open for Suga to see the drawing. It was of a lake surrounded by trees and blossoms. “They even say that this crater used to be a large lake, filled with the purest water before the Beast came and ruined the land”

The pictures entranced Suga for a long time as Ennoshita took his time to read and search through the vast library for what he needed. It made Suga sad that he could not help his friend at all. Afterall, he had never been taught to read or write. There was no need for him to, not where he was headed. And he dared not ask what had Ennoshita so focused and serious. The priests at the temple he came from highlighted the importance time and time again of keeping to your own business but something didn’t feel quite right.

Looking out the library window he watched the guards perform their drills in the courtyard, all neat and orderly like a band of dancers perfectly in sync with one another or at least they were until Hinata noticed him watching and tripped over his feet. Hinata’s spear came to mind and he remembered, he left it downstairs with the beast. Hinata would surely get in trouble if he did not have his spear. It would not do if he had lost it. Suga’s track record of being conscious after dancing was not looking good so he couldn’t guarantee that he could bring it back afterwards.

Maybe he could go downstairs and get it now… He looked over at Ennoshita still slaving away manuscripts and rubbing his head. He had no doubt that he would not be missed.

“Ennoshita I’m going to go lie down for a bit. I’m still feeling a bit tired” he said, rising from his seat. Ennoshita did little else but wave his hand in acknowledgement.

“Feel better” he mumbled, engrossed in whatever old script he was reading, writing down notes on a pad of paper that sat next to him.

Suga headed straight for his room and shut the door firmly behind him before heading to the tapestry. He took a deep breath and cast it aside. He would be quick, he would go in there, grab the spear and leave, that’s all there was to it.

As Suga descended the stairs he heard growling. The Beast was not happy at him being here or at least that’s what he thought. When he stepped into the glyph, illuminated by the dim light the Beast stopped his growls and instead started whimpering. Was he scared? Or was it something else? The sound tugged at Suga’s heart and made him feel bad for the Beast. He sounded so pitiful and sad.

“It’s alright, I’m not here to do anything. I just came to get this back” he said tapping the spear that was still lodged into the ground. “I don’t seem to have much luck making my own way back upstairs you see…”

The Beast yipped in response, tail thwacking on the ground loudly. Suga’s eyebrows raised. Was the Beast responding to him?

“You can understand me?” he asked tentatively. Maybe it was a fluke, maybe the Beast thought he was going to feed him or something?

The Beast barked once more. Suga dared to step closer to try and get a better look in the shadows. He reached the other edge of the glyph, closest to the Beast and looked carefully.

“If you can truly understand me…” He thought for a moment, his eyes roaming over the Beasts body “Tap your left front paw on the ground twice”

The Beast tapped twice and Suga’s eyes widened. If the Beast could understand him then why did he bark and snap and growl at him? Was he afraid? Was it something else? He didn’t know but the Beast stepped forward to nose the ground before Suga, bowing its head gently, as if offering Suga the opportunity to pat its head.

Even in the dark Suga could see that this was a gesture of goodwill and the longer that he held out on touching its head, the more the Beast let out a huff and a harrumph of dissatisfaction. Tentative fingers met fur and he could feel the sigh of relief that went through the Beast’s body. It was so soft, so touchable, so lovely to pat that Suga forgot for a moment his purpose of being here and took comfort in patting the Beast, his body pressing close to the thick pelt. He could feel a heartbeat and every breath that the Beast exuded. A deep earthy smell filled his nostrils. It was all so comforting, all so calm and warm that he could easily just fall asleep on the Beast’s soft fur.

“I can’t… I need to go. I need to return the spear. I said I was sleeping.” The Beast whimpered and licked his hand gently with a large pink tongue as if to say ‘Do not leave me alone’.

But Suga had to go he had to leave. In the back of his mind he thought that this could be a trick. The Beast maybe was trying to get him to relax so that he would lie down close to him and allow himself to be eaten. He bit his lip and went back to where the spear was, ignoring the pitiful whimpers and whines of the Beast.

“I’ll be back tonight Mr Beast. I hope you enjoy my performance tonight as well.” Suga bowed respectfully, before twisting the spear out of the ground with a grunt of difficulty and turning to run up the stairs.

Hinata found his spear returned to him, left on a bench with a silver ribbon tied to it while Suga was being prepared for the ceremony. He could hear the chorus of the Priests sing songs that sent shivers up his spine. He knew that they were to keep the evil Beast trapped underground so he would not ravage the land. He knew that they would help Suga in his task as a Beast Dancer but there was something so creepy about them!

He ran back to the armoury returning his spear to where it was supposed to be, giddy that he didn’t get caught. Or at least he thought so until he bumped into a large figure, sending him flying to the floor with a solid thud. He looked up to see who it was, hoping that it would just be Asahi but he paled when he saw it was Ushijima, the leader of the guards. He was a tall and imposing man that kept very much to himself most of the time. There were stories about how he had been here a long time and would not stand for any disorder in his ranks. To a new fledgling like Hinata he was very intimidating.

“U-Ushijima S-sir! I-I-I…” Hinata found that in that moment, he really needed the bathroom. His stomach awkwardly rumbling until Ushijima shook his head and smiled a little, sadness twinging his expression. The intense nervous reaction subsided immediately and was replaced by curiosity. He had never seen Ushijima express anything but calm certainty from a distance.

“What’s wrong sir?” Hinata asked quietly, watching the older man carefully to see if he treaded too far into unwanted territory. Ushijima was quiet for a long time, listening to the familiar stanzas of the music before shaking his head.

“Only memories” he murmured before his attention was caught by the silver ribbon in Hinata’s hands. Hinata stiffened up and hid it behind his back, feeling the nervous rumbles return to his stomach.

“No… I’m not going to tell you off” he started, placing a firm hand on Hinata’s shoulder, before kneeling down so that they were face to face. “I only advise you hide that well, or destroy it. Jealousy is an ugly thing and there are people here who wish to keep favours like that away from the world, even if it was given innocently in kindness.” Hinata tilted his head in confusing, not understanding the meaning of Ushijima’s words. Jealousy? Who would have any reason to be jealous of him? It was only a ribbon, not a love letter or anything like that.

Ushijima chuckled, a strained smile crossing his features, Hinata clearly didn’t understand him. He was too innocent and naïve to realize the mess that the Beast Dancers are entangled up in. He rose to leave with a sigh. “I hope you don’t ever have to understand. Just keep your head down and out of sight and you will be okay.”

Hinata watched Ushijima leave, confusion settling itself deep in his heart before running off back to his bunk to settle in for the night, safe in the knowledge that Suga was keeping them all safe.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hmmmm I wonder what Ushijima's deal is?
> 
> Thank you all so much for your kind comments and kudos! They really make my day! It's really wonderful to see you all enjoying this wee fic of mine. I'd really love to hear what you think!
> 
> Please feel free to chat with me on my Twitter and Tumblr- I'm Rinoa11 on both of those. I post updates of when I post fic so if you want to stay up to date, there is where you'll find out first!
> 
> Have a lovely day!


	4. Hope Dance

Tonight Suga danced in a deep purple outfit peppered with flecks of silver and blue. After weeks of performing the ritual over and over his skin appeared almost translucent in the violet flames. The Beast watched him, occasionally emitting a whimper into the air that was drowned out by the beat and the music.

His hips swished from left to right. He span on his toes, arms twisting into the air like he was grabbing for a thread of hope. Tonight the lower half of his face was veiled and he wore a simple band of silk across his chest. Even through the veil the Beast could see Suga’s face phase through a whole library of emotions, from determination, to hope and then despair. It always ended in despair and pain. It was clear to see the desperation and the sadness that Suga felt through his dance. The Beast could see that Suga was lonely and over the weeks that he had danced since he visited him down in the cavern to collect the spear that loneliness had only intensified, eating away at him.

The joy of dance had almost completely gone from Suga’s eyes. Now it was just something that he needed to do. A task that kept others safe and the Beast at bay. A task that caused him so much pain and as he fell to the ground the Beast ran as far forward as he could in hopes to stop him from hitting the floor.

Suga’s body fell forward off of the glyph and into the Beast’s pelt. He was carefully dragged away closer to the wall where the Beast was chained, as far away from the glyph that he could get. The Beast watched the black tendrils try to come for Suga’s body but with no one in the circle, they had nowhere to go, screeching loudly. The Beast curled defensively around Suga’s body. For tonight at least he would get a respite. He would make sure that Suga slept peacefully, gently nosing his face as he groaned in pain to try and soothe him. He would protect him, the fragile moonbeam that danced like a river and flew like a caged bird.

The Grand Priest descended the stairs and found the Beast curled peacefully around Suga. Any attempt he made to step into the room was met with a deep growl and a flash of teeth.

“I do not know how you managed to make this happen, but I will not have you ruin my plans. Not when everything is so close to completion” the Grand Priest spat, turning to stride up the stairs, doors slamming behind him.

The Beast yipped and wagged his tail at this little victory, not realizing that his celebration had made the tiny dancer curled up into his side, fist curled into his dark fur stir. Looking down at him made his heart swell. It was very sweet the way Suga yawned, nose scrunching as he sat up blinking sleepily, hair sticking up in different directions. He looked so content, so well rested before he realized where he was.

“Oh no…” he said, looking up at the Beast who only leaned forward to lick his face, tail thumping wildly on the ground. It tickled! “No! No! Stop that!” he cried out, a giggle bursting forth soon after, raising his arms to protect his face from further licks. “No more! Mercy! That tickles!” But the Beast was not satisfied until Suga was laughing from the deepest depths of his belly before he sat down with what could only be described as a grin.

“I don’t understand you” Suga huffed, leaning back on the Beast as the licking stopped, unable to stop his hand from patting the soft fur. The Beast murred in approval at the scratch behind the ear, pressing his head further into Suga’s deft hands, licking the palm in appreciation.

“To be fair… I don’t understand any of this but you understand me don’t you?”

The Beast yipped and nodded his head once.

“Am I doing the right thing?” Suga asked the Beast quietly. Maybe he was asking himself more than anything. The past few weeks had been strange and unpleasant to say the least.

Fear had become a master in his heart, seeping into his bones, into his very core. His days had been refined to a very precise routine. He would wake up feeling awful, he would eat, he would accompany Ennoshita to the library if he felt well enough, he would practice if he felt well enough, he would eat, he would prepare for the ceremony and then he would perform the ceremony before waking up again in his room to repeat the entire process again and again and again.

It was a cycle, a cycle of fear. Hinata no longer spoke to him, instead if their eyes met he would jump and run away. The first time it happened two weeks ago, Suga felt his heart break. Isolation continued to set in deep. Ennoshita barely spoke any words to him outside of what was necessary. Any attempt at conversation was met with an excuse of being busy, he was doing a difficult translation or the suggestion that he should practice. Suga felt too sick and apathetic to complain, instead taking himself back to his room to stare aimlessly at the ceiling, watching the sunlight move from one wall to the other. Slowly but surely, like the sun setting, everyone began to inch further and further away from him leaving him to walk a temple that seemed so empty, it was abandoned.

And the feeling… the feeling of being constantly watched as he walked around the temple complex. The feeling of hungry eyes nipping at his feet, wanting to bite into his flesh and rend him into a nothingness. When he turned around to look he saw no one there. Was he going mad? Was it just that he was tired from the ceremony (and he was so tired, so weak, so pitiful) It made Suga want to scream. He wanted to get out of here simply to feel human again. Simply to be able to express his emotions and laugh other than walking from place to place aimlessly like a ghost. But duty tied him down. He couldn’t let everyone down. Their prayers sung at night as he danced, rolling his body to the beat, hips swishing left and right with the precious strength he still had. He couldn’t let them down. Giving up and running away just was not an option.

Tears welled up in his eyes as he sat in the cavern, the Beast curling comfortingly around his body. “All I wanted to do was honour my people…. I just wanted to bring them joy but I don’t know if I’m doing the right thing. This just doesn’t feel right. I’m scared.” Suga didn’t know why he was pouring out his fears to the Beast. Maybe it was because he was silent and there. Maybe Suga was so desperate for care and understanding that he would imagine anything to feel better.

But the Beast nosed his face and let out a small whine, licking the tears that poured from his eyes away. That only made Suga cry harder. Here was this Beast of legend, a destroyer, a bringer of pain and evil comforting him. Was he really so evil when he was being the kindest one here in this temple of loneliness.

“Are you trying to cheer me up Beast?” he asked, snot pouring down his nose as he sobbed. Try as he might he couldn’t stop. The Beast yipped and nuzzled his face allowing Suga to reach his arms around his neck in a tight hug. The heavy collar that kept him chained to the wall weighed down on Suga’s shoulder. “Thank you. I’m sorry if I hurt you. I’m so sorry sweet Beast… I’m so sorry.”

Suga stayed holding tightly onto the Beast and cried until he could cry no more. Contented he rested, almost dosing off on the beast’s fur before remembering Ennoshita. He would be worried about him. Suga gently stroked the Beast’s muzzle and promised to come back down and visit the Beast sooner. His heart feeling lighter as he started to make his way up the dark staircase, turning his head as he thought he heard a man speak to him, he thought he heard an “I’ll miss you” but it was only the Beast, settling back down amongst his chains. Perhaps it was only wishful thinking.

When he emerged from the cavern he found Ennoshita there besides himself, from the way the light painted the walls he could tell it was close to the middle of the day.

“Thank goodness!” he cried, launching his arms around Suga uncharacteristically, bringing him into a tight embrace. “I was so worried! I feared that you had been eaten or worse! I’m so sorry Suga… I’m so sorry! I begged the guards to search for you! I was scared that you were hiding from me! I was so scared!”

Suga wrapped his arms around Ennoshita in return and held his friend close, not minding the outburst of emotion one bit. He silently thanked the Beast for his help downstairs. “No no Ennoshita… I was just down in the cavern. I fell asleep down there but I am alright. See?”

“You don’t hate me?” Ennoshita asked pulling back from the hug, locking eyes with Suga, searching for any trace of hatred. “I got so absorbed in what I thought I needed to do that I forgot to look after you.” Suga smiled and shook his head, his hand cupping Ennoshita’s cheek.

“Not at all sweet friend.” His stomach rumbled loudly demanding food. “Would you like to have lunch with me?” Ennoshita nodded and took Suga’s hand, pulling him outside. The entire temple complex was in a flurry searching for him. “I found him!” Ennoshita called out holding his hand high for all to see.

Suga swore he felt his heart grow when he saw the guards and the priests all joyously voice and show their relief at Suga being ‘found’. Hinata ran towards them for the first time in weeks yelling and waving. “Oh thank goodness! We were all so worried! Asahi told me not to worry so much but I was so scared! Did we hurt your feelings Suga? Were we not good enough to you?”

Suga smiled kindly and tilted his head. “Where did you get that idea Hinata?” he asked kindly, bending down to be more eye to eye with him, like he was used to doing with the children at the City temple.

“W-Well Ennoshita was running around…. And he kept babbling on about how you looked so sad that I was worried that I might have made you sad too but…. But I didn’t mean to! I just didn’t want to get into trouble!”

“Get into trouble? How?” Things were starting to click together in his mind. The reason behind his isolation.

“W-Well we were told that the Grand Priest didn’t want us talking to you…” he whispered, only loud enough for Suga and Ennoshita to hear. Suga looked up at Ennoshita for confirmation of this and received a solemn nod in return.

Suga sighed and closed his eyes. Yes, it made sense now. The isolation, the strange feeling of being watched and even now he could feel the eyes on him. This would not do at all, not if he could help it.

He marched right into the middle of the courtyard and began to climb the marble fountain, not caring if his ceremonial garb got wet. He tore off the veil from his face and waved it high above his head to attract everyone’s attention. Looking up he saw the Grand Priest, standing at the window on the second floor watching him, he was always watching him.

He took a deep breath and projected his voice, making sure it was loud and clear for all to hear. “Everyone!” he began, making heads turn his way.

Ushijima came to stand near Hinata and Asahi, a small smile painting his face as they all listened to the Beast Dancer’s words.

“I am your Beast Dancer! I dance for you! I dance to protect your hopes and dreams and families. Please do not be afraid of me. I am and always will be yours.” He paused and locked his eyes with the Grand Priest’s in a show of defiance. He could see the old man turn and retreat inside as he continued. His voice grew stronger like he was yelling an impassioned battle cry from his core. “I vow with my very being that I will protect them and not allow them to be taken away. It is an honour to serve you all. It is an honour to be chosen.” Silence filled the complex before slowly an applause trickled in, which grew stronger and stronger until the guards and the priests were singing Suga’s praises. Suga waved and smiled at them all bowing deeply to show his gratitude for their support.

“It seems the Dancer is taking matters into his own hands” Ushijima murmured, causing Hinata to look up at him with curiosity in his eyes before Suga returned back over to them with a smile of satisfaction on his face. Ushijima and Asahi bowed respectfully to Suga as he approached.

“Please do not bow! Did you not listen to my speech?” he asked smiling brightly. “I am yours as much as anyone else’s”

“It was a fine speech. I understand why Hinata speaks so highly of you” Asahi said, a small blush painting his cheeks as he looked away shyly.

“Truly it was! Even though I worry what the outcome will be…” Ennoshita added, looking nervously up to the second floor window Suga was looking at.

“It was a good speech and needed to be done” Ushijima said locking eyes with Suga before kneeling and lowering his head in respect, holding his hand over his heart. “I pray for your success and safety.”

Suga smiled and nodded taking Ennoshita’s hand again. “Let’s ask the cooks if we can have a picnic tomorrow!” Suga’s stomach rumbled loudly causing the surrounding guards and Ennoshita to laugh.

“I think you need to eat something now though, your eminence.” Ennoshita teased, poking Suga’s bared belly as it made its own opinions known on food. It needed food badly was the general consensus. So Suga left the courtyard with a smile and a wave to head down to the kitchens with Ennoshita to grab whatever food they could scrounge up.

The cooks were more than happy to feed the pair of them until they were satisfied. Suga took great delight in chatting to them, telling them all about himself and where he came from. Ennoshita listened quietly, resting his head on the table, perfectly content. He decided that he would tell Suga what he found in the library tomorrow. Maybe everything wasn’t as it seemed but for now Suga seemed happier and that was what mattered.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Things seem to be getting better? Maybe? Possibly? Hmmmm...
> 
> Thank you all so much for your kind comments and kudos! They really make my day! It's really wonderful to see you all enjoying this wee fic of mine. I'd really love to hear what you think!
> 
> Please feel free to chat with me on my Twitter and Tumblr- I'm Rinoa11 on both of those. I post updates of when I post fic so if you want to stay up to date, there is where you'll find out first!
> 
> Have a lovely day!


	5. Dream Dance

Suga woke up feeling drained and very unwell to an argument. He daren’t open his eyes to show that he was awake but the crick in his neck and the twinge in his back made him feel even worse. The way his hips were swivelled to face upwards, twisting in an uncomfortable position he felt like a rag doll that had been placed in a position that was unkind by its owner. Peering through his eyelashes from his face in the pillow he could see Ennoshita, back facing to him, arms spread wide shielding him from what sounded to be the Grand Priest.

He couldn’t make out what was being said, his head felt too foggy to try and decipher the argument but Ennoshita clearly had no intentions of backing down until quietness returned and Ennoshita’s weight dispersed itself on the soft mattress next to Suga. He could feel fingers carefully touch his forehead before a gasp escaped his lips. Suga’s eyes opened fully, blinking blearily to turn his gaze to meet Ennoshita’s, he felt awful.

“I don’t feel so good Ennoshita” moaned Suga.

“I’m not surprised” his friend murmured, brushing silver hair away from Suga’s sweaty forehead. “You’re burning up. I’m sorry if I woke you.”

Suga tried to sit up before clutching his head in pain. “I was awake anyway. I could hear you arguing but my head is spinning… What’s happening to me Ennoshita?”

Ennoshita quietly gathered the pillows on the bed, fluffing them up to make Suga more comfortable. He had read about this happening. The longer the Beast Dancers stayed around, the longer they danced to seal the Beast away, the weaker they became until finally they expired. He was supposed to take Suga to the library today to show him his findings but with the state Suga was in, that was no longer an option. He would have to bring his notes and books here to him.

Ennoshita thought for a moment and stood up dusting his robes off, kneeling down so he was eye level with Suga. “I do have some answers but they’re not complete or reliable. I dug around a bit in the library and found some things but I’ll need to bring them here for you to look at. Is it alright if I go to get them. I’ll bring back some medicine too that should make you feel better. Until then I suggest you sleep and see if that helps”

Suga settled down on the pillows and nodded, giving Ennoshita a small smile. He was much more comfortable. “Thank you. I do appreciate it” he replied weakly, settling down with a yawn to sleep. Even when sweaty and ill Ennoshita still was blown away by how lovely Suga looked, lingering for a little longer on the doorway before exiting the room. On his way to the library he spotted Ushijima on patrol. He flagged him down with a wave, calling to him to catch his attention.

“Ushijima! I know you might be busy but can you do me a favour…”

A field of flowers spread out before Suga as far as the eye could see. It seemed to go on endlessly no matter how far he walked, the soft petals caressing his skin as he idly made his way through the landscape, enjoying the fresh clean air.

After a time he found himself in front of a glorious tree, just like the one he had seen before at the temple entrance when he first arrived, healthy and free of all worries. Through his time here Suga’s skin had almost become translucent, his formerly curvatious form started to become more lean and sickly. Here in this field of flowers, his hands did not look bony, they still held a softness.

It had to be a dream, there was no other explanation for him feeling the way he used to. There was no other explanation for the tree, silver and glorious, stretching elegant branches out to the sky with silver flowers blossoming to reveal a sweet scent.

He could feel a tingle at the back of his neck and he spun round to find a man who looked to be about his age, golden skin and dark hair, standing before him, covered in chains similar to the ones he wore. His smile was so warm and caused a flutter in his belly. Suga couldn’t help but approach him, unsure as to why he felt so familiar.

 They walked together through the fields in a comfortable silence, simply enjoying each other’s company. They came to stand underneath the silver tree once again, enjoying the shade it brought and the man reached for Suga’s cheek, chains gently brushing on Suga’s skin as sturdy hands caressed his face. He felt so warm, so safe, so protected. Suga looked up at the kind smile, firm cheekbones and sinfully gorgeous lips, coming down to meet his in what he hoped would be a sweet kiss. One that would make him tremble with earnest yearning at his core. A blink and he was gone, replaced with a great dark figure gold and red veins coursing through its terrifying form.

The glyph of the temple bursting out from underneath its feet, black tendrils piercing themselves deep into Suga’s skin. It reached out to the tree crushing the silver blossoms in its hands, the earth stripping itself of life to become arid and dry. The figure grew larger and larger, reaching its hand out for Suga to encompass his body in total darkness.

He screamed and fought all he could, pain tearing through his body, until he found himself awake, drenched with cold, sticky, sweat in his bed. It was the early hours of the morning after he had performed for the Beast. He took care not to overwork himself that night, watching the Beast carefully for a sign to stop before he became engulfed in the spell entirely to the point of no return. When the Beast began to growl and whimper Suga stopped, bowing out before heading up the stairs to bed.

It wasn’t Ennoshita who ran into his room in response to his screams but the quiet guard Ushijima. For a minute it looked like he had seen a ghost before he collected himself, rushing to Suga’s bedside with practiced ease.

“It is alright, it’s only a bad dream. Nothing will come of it” he murmured, his deep voice permeating into Suga’s consciousness, reaching his hand out for Suga to take if he should wish it. Suga grasped it desperately.

“I saw a field of flowers” Suga whispered looking up at Ushijima who merely gave him a small smile in return.

“That must have been nice.”

“It was…” He sighed and reached out above his head, picturing the dream in his mind. As if he were trying to touch the blooms hanging off the branches. “And there was a tree, like the one outside except it wasn’t dying, it was beautiful and blooming and silver. Then everything died… the ground the earth and I was swallowed up by a darkness and… and…” Suga grew hysterical, pulling his hand back to cover his face, lying back on the pillows. “I wish I didn’t feel this way, the more I dance the weaker I feel… but it helps everyone so I can’t stop.”

“You could” Ushijima said quietly. “You could always run away and forsake your task.” Suga looked at Ushijima like he just suggested like he should kill his mother

“No!” he cried, “I have worked so hard to get here! You don’t understand how much I have given up, how much I struggled to become like this. If I ran away everyone at home would be so disappointed!” Ushijima nodded solemnly.

“There is that… but what about the Beast beneath the earth?”

“The Beast... I…” Suga fell silent looking at the tapestry of red and gold on the wall. Another tree, just like in his dream. Suga thought of the Beast that lay beyond the doors. He had taken care of him and comforted him when he was in despair, only showing him concern and kindness. Why did the Beast need to be sealed away? Why was he doomed to live his life shut away for eternity by Dancers like himself? But the teachings told them that he was dangerous and deadly. If Suga failed, the destruction of everything once again would be on his shoulders.

“He felt the same you know…” Ushijima began. “Responsible for everyone to an unrealistic degree, not realizing what he had gotten himself into.”

“You knew a Beast Dancer?” Suga leaned forward, eyes wide. Ushijima stayed silent, his expression hard to read. His eyes shifting to the tapestry. In that moment he looked very old and tired. Suga couldn’t place how old Ushijima was but sitting there, it felt like he had existed for an incredibly long time. The leather of Ushijima’s gloves squeaked as his hands, rested on his lap, curled into tight fists.

“What happened?” Suga asked breathily, unable to remain tactful in his desperation to find out anything about what happened to the Beast Dancers before him but before Ushijima could even hope to answer Ennoshita burst into the room. His face was manic, a picture of fear before his eyes glanced at Ushijima sitting next to the bed. “Oh thank goodness… I was worried that… but...” he tried to catch his breath, his shoulders sagging as he carefully placed the books down onto the dressing table.

Ushijima rose and bowed respectfully to them both. Suga wanted to ask him more but Ushijima muttered an excuse about needing to get back to his patrol.

Ennoshita thanked Ushijima briefly before sitting on the bed with Suga, bringing each book over for Suga to inspect. Suga flipped through the handwritten tomes carefully, unable to understand what was written inside but he could see that there were entire sections near the back of some of the books that have been ripped out.

“The pages are missing?”

“Exactly! These are diaries belonging to some of the previous Beast Dancers. Most of them are so old I can’t understand what is written. But the ones I do just write about goings on in the temple and elaborate prayers but the pages near the end are missing. They’re really hard to translate” Suga listened as Ennoshita enthusiastically babbled about his methods of translation as he carefully looked through the books searching for anything he recognized. A picture, a clue, something that resonated deep within.

“I think Ushijima knew a Beast Dancer” he said quietly, fingers touching the pages reverently. If only he could read what lay here. His eyes focused on a book still resting on the dressing table, a bright teal book with gold inlayed on the cover. Suga stood to go reach for it.

“Oh that one! I don’t think it’s very useful but you seemed to love the pictures of flowers I thought you might enjoy this. I found it buried deep beneath these books. Probably a Priest’s project or something. I can’t understand any of the notes.”

Suga’s eyes were greeted by a wonderful sight. Inside the book were dried flowers, pressed and preserved so that they could be enjoyed forever. They were so beautiful that Suga felt his heart skip a beat as he delicately turned each page, mesmerized by each new flower he saw. Lilies, Irises, Roses, Daisies Forget-Me-Nots so many different flowers. Suga loved and cherished them all.

“It must be a very old book” Ennoshita chimed in, snuggling up next to Suga, chin resting on his shoulder. “Flowers haven’t grown here for hundreds of years!”

“My mother came from a place where they still had flowers” Suga replied wistfully. “I’m not sure where but she travelled a very long way and met my father. They fell in love so she stayed. She’s the one who taught me how to dance in the first place." He paused and turned his head up to Ennoshita, settling to rest back in his arms. "She always spoke about how she wanted me to see fields of flowers like in her homeland. It’s my dream.” He trailed off and fell silent as he reached near the end of the book the red blossoms like he had seen on the tree. The writing here was messier, more frantic before Suga’s eyes fell on something he did recognize.

It was a music score. He was never taught to read in the temple but when it came to reading music Suga could do that with no issues. Nostalgia flooded his heart as he remembered the late evenings of his mother singing gently along with her lute, teaching Suga how to read the notes and follow the beat. She was a warm woman, with silver hair that was rare in these lands. His father used to say they were his moonbeams. It had been so long since he had seen them. He missed them dreadfully.

“You can read that?” Ennoshita asked pointing at the bars and notes that filled the page.

“It’s music, my mother taught me how to read it when I was young” Suga’s finger followed the dots and lines, humming quietly to himself.

“I can see that but that’s a style that hasn’t been used in hundreds of years. It’s a note system that fell out use in these lands.”

“Can I keep this book?” Suga asked, voice quiet, clutching the book tightly to his chest. It felt like something private and special to him, he didn’t want to share it with anyone else. He wanted to show the Beast the flowers as thanks for helping him. Maybe it would make him happy?

“I don’t see why not” Ennoshita replied, shrugging as he got up off the bed, dusting himself off. “But the main reason I brought these books was a warning. I think you should be on your guard. Whatever happened at the end of these books, someone didn’t want anyone to find out. I don’t know what you do Suga but I do know that you’ve been getting sicker, if it really is paradise you’re heading to…” He stopped unable to voice his fears over the Grand Priest, cowardice taking hold of his tongue. “I just want you to get there safely.”

Suga looked up at Ennoshita, clutching the teal and gold book to his chest, nodding sincerely. “Thank you. I will do my best, for me and for you.”

After Ennoshita left Suga opened the book again, resting on his belly, taking in all of the flowers, letting them settle in his mind’s eye, thinking of all the wonderful things that he would tell the Beast about which flowers were his favourite and maybe even sing him the song that he had found within the pages of the book.

But today he would have no time, the time for the ceremony came quickly, Ennoshita returning to prepare Suga with a grimness that only grew each time he did. Suga didn’t understand why he looked so sad while dressing him up in clothes that were so beautiful, so fine, so luxurious that they would make a king jealous.

Today he wore veils and silks the colour of a sunset, going from teal to peach along with pearls and diamonds on chains of rose gold that glittered in the dim light of the room. Suga admired himself as he twirled in the mirror, the bells on his wrists, hips and ankles chiming as he did. To his surprise found himself hoping that the Beast would like the way he looked as he smiled and nodded at Ennoshita before heading downstairs to see the Beast again.

Suga felt a swell in his heart and a blush on his cheeks when the Beast looked at him. He didn’t understand how a Beast could look at him with such reverence but he could feel it deep in his bones. Except he was unable to thank the Beast like he wanted to and had to begin his dance, stepping onto the glyph to begin the ritual.

He swirled and twirled and leapt into the air, trying to dance like he remembered the blossoms in his dreams. Twisting and turning this way and that as if he were being blown around in the wind. His arms gently fluttered, the bells chiming as his wrists delicately twisted this way and that, fingers gently curling and uncurling as he did so like a flower opening and closing. His hips rocked in small motions from side to side as his feet stepped forward and back before he spun on a toe and repeated the same again.

Suga then decided to turn his back away from the beast, plucking the veil from its place on his head and use it to look over at the beast, peeking over the edge with his thick eyelashes fluttering flirtatiously. Ass swishing pronouncedly as he did so. He closed his eyes and imagined the man he saw in his dreams sitting there before him. Tanned and muscular with dark hair and a kind smile, just the kind of guy he would love to dance for.

He swore he heard a groan of appreciation as he danced, his ass bouncing gently as he stamped the ground with his heels and shook his hips. He twirled as he raised his hands to the sky, opening his eyes slowly to look at the Beast with a radiant smile. But he swore, just for a moment that the Beast didn’t sit there. Maybe it was a trick of the light, or his imagination but before he had time to contemplate the power of the glyph began to take its hold. He could hear a small growl as he found himself sinking into the familiar trance, unable to stop it from seeping into his body.

This was always the scariest bit. Suga’s body was no longer his own, his mind heading to a liminal space, it was entrusted over to someone or something else, no matter how many times Ennoshita pleaded with him to take it easy, no matter how much he wished to, the music would always take hold and he would become the perfect conduit for whatever the glyph wished.

The glyph showed him no mercy, wrecking his body for its perverse purposes until it could handle no more collapsing. As he fell off the glyph, he swore he could hear a man begging him to wake up, he could feel fingers caress his face and a pair of lips press a desperate kiss to his forehead. Soft lips and warm hands, just like the ones in the dream. It must be his subconscious trying to comfort him.

His eyes peered open, to see the Beast there, whimpering and whining, pulling him into his warm fur to rest. The Beast howled pitifully at his situation, mournfully crying to the heavens. Suga could only hope, as a shaky breath rattled from his body, consciousness passing off into the darkness that his sweet, gentle Beast was not in any pain.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ahhhh the plot thickens!
> 
> Thank you all so much for your kind comments and kudos! They really make my day! It's really wonderful to see you all enjoying this wee fic of mine. I'd really love to hear what you think!
> 
> Please feel free to chat with me on my Tumblr- I'm Rinoa11 there. I post updates of when I post fic so if you want to stay up to date, there is where you'll find out first!
> 
> Have a lovely day!


	6. Humming Dance

The frustration Suga felt as he woke up came to a halt as he heard the Beast growl and bark viciously, standing over his body protectively. Suga turned his head to look at what had disturbed him so much only to hear the door upstairs slam shut. Whatever had upset the Beast ran away. Suga hoped it wasn’t Ennoshita, he would have a lot of explaining to do then but he doubted Ennoshita would make the Beast this angry.

Suga reached up to gently scratch underneath the chin of the beast, humming gently as he did so. “Shhh it’s alright, I’m here, we’re safe.” The dancer changed his mind however when he tried to stand and pain caused him to crumple back to the ground clutching his stomach protectively as he let out a cry of agonizing pain.

The Beast whimpered and nuzzled down at him, pawing gently at his small form on the ground before curling around him protectively. “No… no I need to go back upstairs. Ennoshita will worry if I don’t return” he moaned but oh god he felt like he was going to die as he struggled to stand once again. It took all of his strength to drag himself up each step. It was like traversing a mountain with the Beast’s lonely howls being the wind at the desolate peaks.

To his great relief, Ushijima was at the door for Suga to fall into. Why he was there, how he knew Suga needed someone, Suga didn’t know but he gratefully accepted the strong arms around him to pick him up and carry him from the room as he coughed and wheezed and spluttered into the guard’s shoulder. He was horrified by what he saw, blood.

“I’m taking you to the medical wing” Ushijima declared, leaving no room for argument. Suga couldn’t even bear to look at any of the guards or the priests that they passed by on their way there. He had never felt weaker than he did now.

Ennoshita was there to greet them as Suga was placed down shivering into the bed. Immediately the doctor began chattering away, mixing potions and concoctions that Suga was asked to gulp down. Each of them tasted bitter and vile but Ennoshita rubbed his back as he did, soothing his distress with kind sounds before sitting with him on the clinical bed to stroke his hair.

Hinata burst into the room, unable to stand still with worry. Asahi waited for him outside biting his lip. “Suga! Are you okay! Ushijima said you were unwell and I was worried! Asahi’s worried too! Are you going to be okay?!” he chirped, fidgeting with his tunic insecently.

Suga nodded tiredly, glancing over at Ushijima’s shoulder where the blood had been. To his relief Ushijima wiped it off before Hinata or Ennoshita saw it. How he had known Suga was sick baffled him. Was it the same for the Beast Dancer he knew or was it something else?

“I’m fine Hinata, I just pushed myself too hard again. I’m sorry for worrying you.”

“Everyone’s so grateful for what you do Suga! We’d all be really sad if you hurt yourself! Please take care of yourself!” he continued to babble, not taking into account the way Suga’s smile tightened, his pale bony fists twisting into the silks on his lap. It just didn’t feel right anymore. The terror he felt as the trance set in.

“I know… Thank you. I’m very blessed to have your support.” Ennoshita noticed the way Suga closed himself off despite Hinata’s sincere words. Ushijima gently placed his hand on Hinata’s shoulder, raising a finger to his lips.

“I think it’s time for Suga to rest. I’m sure he’s still very tired” he said, carefully shooing everyone out of the room, including the doctor, save for Ennoshita.

“What’s wrong Suga. What’s happening to you? Is anyone upsetting you?” Ennoshita asked, holding Suga close to him, stroking his hair as his friend began to spill tears from his eyes. Suga tried to find the words to tell Ennoshita.

“I don’t feel right anymore…” he began in a tiny whisper. “It feels like everything I’m doing is wrong. I… I just don’t want to let anyone down. I don’t want to let my sacrifices be in vain!”

Ennoshita moved so he was kneeling in front of Suga, reaching out to cup his face in his hands. “Something more is going on, I’m sure of it. I think you know what it is. I think Ushijima knows what it is… there’s something more isn’t there? Something that’s making you question what you’re doing. But you won’t tell me will you?”

“I can’t” Suga whispered. He couldn’t possibly tell anyone about the Beast. Deep inside he felt like it was a secret that no one but himself could know. If he said anything it would ruin something, it would hurt the Beast and Suga couldn’t bare to do that. “I need to figure this out myself.”

“It’s something to do with those pages isn’t it?” Ennoshita said more to himself than to Suga. His mind racing at a million miles an hour, connecting the dots. “Something to do with the pages that were ripped out, something to do with the ceremony and…” The Grand Priest surely lay at the centre of this mess but maybe not the mess Suga was thinking of. He sighed and wiped the tears away from Suga’s eyes. He was in such pain and withering away before his eyes. Ennoshita was afraid that he didn’t have much time left before “paradise” loomed. Suga lay back on the bed and curled up on his side, signalling that he wanted to be left to rest. Ennoshita stood up with a sigh. He needed to hunt down a way to fix this all, leaving the room to go to the library before he was stopped by a Priest who handed him a letter, sealed with red wax and laced with gold throughout.

Silence filled the room as Suga rested, a sense of normality eventually returning to his body. When he felt a bit better he got up to thank the doctor, telling him that he’d prefer to rest more in his own bed before returning to his room.

He closed the door and closed his eyes, taking a deep breath. In his heart he knew it was time to go downstairs and visit the beast.

He changed his clothes into something more comfortable, removing the jewels, chains and pearls to be replaced with a silk nightshirt that he had found at the bottom of a drawer. It comfortably hugged his figure and felt less restrictive than the silken pile that he folded away carefully. He grabbed the teal and gold book from underneath his mattress. He washed his face and snuck downstairs to see the Beast who met him with a wag and a bounce, the large chains clinking as he did.

Suga ran over to the Beast to settle into his warm embrace, curled up in the warm fur to snuggle. “I have so much to tell you about today Mr Beast!” Suga proclaimed placing the book on his lap, wondering where to begin. He couldn’t bear to tell the Beast about the blood from this morning. He felt a silent understanding regardless, easing his mind and soothing his heart. Suga’s hands stroked up the Beast’s face until they reached his neck, stopping when they hit the collar. He was going to tell the Beast about his dream. He was going to tell the Beast about the book and the flowers in his dream but the collar caught his attention, a wave of Deja vu hitting him squarely in the stomach. The Beast remained silent, waiting for Suga to say or do something but the revelation hit him. He had seen this collar before.

Suga shifted his position so he could get a better look at hit, fingers tracing over the patterns. “I’ve seen this before” he murmured, looking down at the Beast, eyes wide. He just couldn’t place where, his eyes drifting over to the dimly glowing glyph. They were the same symbols, but that wasn’t it there was something more. There had to be! Suga groaned in frustration as the Beast waited patiently, silently waiting for Suga to put the pieces together, but nothing came as he sat down in frustration.

“I don’t know… but I wanted to tell you about what Ennoshita brought me from the library. I thought you’d like these?” He said opening the pages of pressed flowers. “I can’t read anything that’s written here. Ennoshita says it’s a really old language. Can you understand it Mr Beast?”

The Beast yipped in affirmation as Suga turned the pages, tail wagging in excitement. Every so often the Beast would whimper and his ears would press sadly into his head. Then came the final pages with the brilliant red blossoms just on the tree and the Beast kicked up such a fuss that Suga had to stand up and back to not be hit by his excited movements.

“Okay so you can understand it but I can’t. You know what this flower means though… I’m seeing it everywhere. In the tree that died, to the tapestries, to my dream…” He paused and looked at the Beast in the dim light. What if it was the same? What if everything was connected? He closed his eyes and searched within for an answer, holding the blue book in his hands tightly. The melody written inside called to him in his mind, before he hummed gently as he twisted on his toes. A small dance sprung forth, he didn’t mean to do it. It just felt right and as he danced something changed. The air cooled, became fresher and more alive for a moment and then he dared to open his eyes.

Suga thought he would see the Beast resting there, uninterested but instead the Beast was gone.

“Oh my…” Suga gasped, raising his hands to his lips, the precious book clattering to the floor.

Before him sat the man he had seen in his dreams, reached out to pick up the book that Suga had dropped.

“You found the key I see” he said, a soft smile on his lips as he looked up at Suga reverently, he handed Suga back the book and stepped towards him to envelope him in an embrace but Suga held his hand out and stepped away. He was afraid. What had just happened?

“It’s okay. I’m not going to hurt you…. I would love to do anything but I could never hurt you” the man tried to reason, placing his hands on Suga’s shaking shoulders, thumbs stroking gently. “I’m just happy to be able to be with you like this at last. I haven’t been in this form in the flesh for a very long time. Not since the beginning.” His hands reached up to cup Suga’s face, he seemed so happy to be able to just _touch_ him in return, rather than have Suga’s long fingers sifting through his fur.

He sounded so calm about everything. Suga just couldn’t believe it. First he was a Beast and now he is this gorgeously muscular man with dark hair and dark eyes, chained up and being so kind to him. It make his heart ache. He felt the blood pumping muscle try to climb out his throat and leap at the man but Suga found his words at last, clutching the book to wave it in his face.

“You can read this! You can understand this! What’s going on? Who are you and why are you a Beast and why are you….” Suga’s words were so flustered, so hurried. The man’s smile saddened and he shook his head, silencing Suga’s excited rambling.

“I can read the book. It’s an old language I understand very well. A diary actually. Oikawa wrote it.” He said matter of factly before continuing on, stroking Suga’s back as he did so. “My name is Daichi and I’m trapped here. This is my true form. I can’t be like this for very long, not when I’m still sealed. It takes too much energy for the both of us.” True to his prediction Suga’s knees felt weak and Suga could only look up at him in horror.

“Why does this keep happening Daichi?” Suga cried. “I’m tired of hurting like this!”

“I know” Daichi replied, sad that Suga’s first time speaking his name had to be in pain. He moved to sit Suga down carefully on the floor, holding him carefully to his chest, stroking his hair just like he had always wanted to do, he couldn’t get enough of just being able to touch Suga. If he were stronger, if he were not trapped he would do anything in his power to heal any aches and pains of this small dancer but he couldn’t. A sad smile coated his lips as he tried to explain “I cannot give you the answers you want. You already have some of them here. This melody shall be a key for both of us.” Lips pressed into Suga’s hair as he could feel the sobbing begin. This small mortal bore so much weight, so much pain. Too much. “I believe in you Suga. You will free the both of us.”

And then as Suga blinked again, Daichi was gone. Well his human form was. Daichi whimpered and licked a tear stained cheek. “That’s not fair Daichi… I know nothing about you or what’s happening here and you expect me to free us both? That’s not fair at all…” He rose and gently petted Daichi’s cheek one last time, watching the Beast sink down into the ground with a tiredness he had never seen before. Then he ascended the stairs back to his room to sleep until Ennoshita would wake him, making sure to hide the blue book away from prying eyes.

Upstairs in his room, the Grand Priest sat at his desk writing letters. The quill dropped from his fingers as he felt a sharp pain in his chest. The cycle had been disrupted. He stood and walked towards a cabinet on the other side of his room, opening the wooden doors to bathe in the teal blue glow. He smiled at what lay within, reaching inside, his pain fading away. It was time to put the final stages of the plan into place. Everything he had worked for after all these years would soon be his.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A wild Daichi has appeared! Well he's always been there, since the beginning! I'd love to know what you all thought!
> 
> Thanks so much for reading my fic! It's been a joy to write. I think we've not got too long to go until the finale so buckle your seatbelts, the next couple of chapters are gonna be a corker!
> 
> Your Kudos and Comments mean so much to me. They really make my day and I appreciate them very much.
> 
> If you'd like to chat I'm Rinoa11 on Tumblr - you can get easy updates of when I post things there.


	7. Warrior Dance

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I was given some really awesome and gorgeous fan art by these two lovely people! I'm endlessly grateful for such wonderful pictures of Suga. Please go send them a ton of love!
> 
> [Picture one!](https://twitter.com/sugawaratxt/status/734481994411835392)
> 
> by @Sugawaratxt
> 
> [Picture two!](http://a-sirens-lullaby.tumblr.com/post/145393095825/ok-so-i-was-supposed-to-be-working-on-ot3-week)
> 
> by A-Sirens-Lullaby

“I believe in you Suga” were Daichi’s gentle words coupled with gentle hands, that made Suga long for gentle kisses. It was silly, he had only seen this man in the flesh once and once again in a dream. He was the Beast feared by many and yet here he was sitting in the courtyard with the diary written by someone called “Oikawa” trying to decipher any meaning from the flowers and melodies contained within. All it did was make him wistful and even curiouser.

Nothing matched up in his mind. What did Daichi do to deserve this fate? How did he know who wrote the diary. He must be very old to understand writing like this. Of course he was… the Beast had been trapped below the earth for a very long time with a very long line of Beast Dancers keeping him in place. Suga knew that if he continued to dance for much longer that he was going to die. No one told him this explicitly. He supposed that it must be a horrible thing to declare. ‘Do this thing to bring hope to the land and sacrifice yourself in the process!’ Who would even be up to that task? No one would want to do the job then? Did this mean that paradise was a lie too? How much had they been lied to?

Ennoshita sat nearby on the fountain, taking notes in a little book and Suga lay on his back on the grassy patch. It was too hot to even think of staying in the library today. He hummed the melody quietly to himself over and over again, mind wandering to what Daichi said. If he focused and danced to this song Daichi would transform to his original form. Maybe the melody being sung by the priests was something to keep him in his beast form? Or was it the glyph? Suga couldn’t do much about the glyph. That infernal thing was stuck there, the melody could perhaps be changed… But it was preposterous to think of changing it! Let him free?! What good would that do? Would it bring chaos or? He just didn’t have enough information. But he said it would free them both… if he freed them then maybe he wouldn’t die. A groan escaping from his lips attracted the attention of Hinata passing by who trotted over to see what the fuss was.

“What’s wrong Suga?” he asked peeking at the book in his hands. Suga blinked and remembered that the book was probably not the best thing to have out in the open, he tucked it close to his chest protectively. Hinata seemed to wriggle and twist around to get any glimpse of the pages inside saying, “Come on… pleaaaase. It looks interesting! What is it Suga?” He even continued to wriggle and squirm when Ushijima came up behind him, lifting him up off the ground with ease by the collar.

“Is he bothering you?” he asked in a deep voice. Suga blushed and turned his face away with a pout, clutching the diary to his chest.

“Ushijimaaaa! I just wanted to know what that book was! It looked pretty!”

Suga sighed and smiled shaking his head, signalling for Ushijima to let Hinata down. Even if it was funny to see the small boy flap about like a bird caught in a cat’s mouth. “Alright alright. Just be quiet okay?” he soothed, patting the ground next to him to let Hinata sit down next to him. Ushijima lingered nearby looking mildly curious himself at what had the small guard so interested.

The book was placed carefully on Suga’s lap and opened reverently to show the flowers. “I don’t exactly know much about this but Ennoshita found this book in the library somewhere.” Hinata’s eyes went wide as saucers as he gasped. This was the first time he had ever seen flowers.

“What are those?! They’re beautiful! What do the words say?”

“They’re flowers, pressed and dried. It’s a very old book. Ennoshita says the writing is very old and hard to translate. I can read the music at the back….But we think it used to belong to someone called Oikawa.” He took some liberties there, not thinking it wise to mention Daichi.

Hinata made noises of amazement as he continued to watch Suga turn the pages carefully but he could feel Ushijima’s gaze pierce intensely into him. When Hinata had had his fill of the flowers, curiosity abated, running off back to his duty and presumably to tell Asahi about what he had seen, Ushijima approached him.

He looked like he had seen a ghost. “What did you say?” he quietly asked.

“The flowers… they’re dried?”

“No. The owner… who owned this?” he looked frustrated, almost desperate. Ennoshita looked over from his perch curious, he had never seen Ushijima show this level of emotion, not in all the time he had been here.

“Oikawa… but it’s very old I don’t know for sure?” Suga repeated. He was surprised to see Ushijima look up at the window of the Grand Priest, relaxing when he saw that for once he wasn’t looking down on the courtyard. Perhaps busying himself with other matters.

“I need you to come with me.” It was blunt and to the point. Suga looked towards Ennoshita for guidance. Ennoshita bit his lip, the letter from yesterday still burning a hole in his pocket. He thought of giving it to Suga but then he shrugged and nodded, not entirely sure at what Ushijima could do but he found him more trustworthy than the Grand Priest. Besides, there were stories that Ushijima had been here for a very long time, maybe he knew more about what was going on. Maybe he would give Suga some information that he needed? He watched the guard lead Suga away, back inside. He would just have to trust him, keeping the letter close, keeping Suga out of the clutches of the Grand Priest’s notions for one more day.

Ushijima stopped when they came to Suga’s room. He looked down each end of the corridor before opening the door for Suga to step inside.

“Ushijima… what’s going on? Are you alright? Who’s Oikawa?”

“You need to hide that” he said pointing at the diary, not even looking down at it.

But Suga was sick and tired of everyone dodging the questions he asked them. He was sick about being kept in the dark. What was he really expected to do? What was in store for him after this? What had happened to Daichi? “No!” he shouted, stamping his foot. It felt good to shout. “You know something Ushijima!” He stalked towards the large guard, holding his finger out to poke him in the chest firmly. “I am not going to do anything until you tell me what’s going on? What do you know? I am sick and tired of being danced around like a fragile waif! Tell me Ushijima or by the gods I will make you tell me!”

Ushijima’s back was against the wall and Suga’s face was red with indignation. It was nostalgic. It was bittersweet and he felt a bitter laugh bubble up from inside. “You’re really just like him…” he murmured, sinking down to sit on the ground, staring at the ceiling covered in luxurious silks and curtains. A fitting prison for someone so lovely.

“Just like who Ushijima?” Suga’s voice softened as he sat next to him, holding the book in his hands. “Oikawa?”

“Yes.” A shuddering breath came from his lips. A sense of finality coming over him.

“But this diary is hundreds of years old? How could you know Oikawa if you’re here?”

“Because we’re sealed by this curse too. Not just the Beast. Not just you.” He looked at Suga, pity on his face. Suga couldn’t believe it. He waited for Ushijima to find the words. “We…. We caused this mess. Like you we thought we did the right thing. But we were puppets in this mess. Oikawa was the first Beast Dancer. He was so sure that he was doing the right thing. That the land would be healed. But it wasn’t the Beast who made the mess in the first place.”

Suga felt so small in that moment. If he looked too closely at Ushijima he could see the years that he had been here set deep into his dark eyes, sadly looking at the book he held in his hands. Ushijima reached out for it and Suga handed it to him carefully.

Quietly Ushijima opened he book and began to translate the ancient text, reading to Suga in a deep and peaceful voice. Inside the pages lay Oikawa and Ushijima’s story. They lived in the city when it was first formed. The land was prosperous and green. Ushijima was a farmer and Oikawa was a dancer. He danced to give blessings to the gods in thanks for the successful harvests. In the diary were flowers Ushijima picked for him. It was strange for Suga to see Ushijima occasionally get misty eyed but he continued.

Eventually the crops began to fail, the land got sicker and sicker and things began to die. The temples told them that the gods were unhappy with their greed. More tribute was needed. More more more. Always more but it was never enough. The land died and the rivers dried up. A great Beast had begun to stay in the area. The temples told them that if they defeated the Beast then things would improve.

They were wrong. But they believed because what else could they do? Oikawa was so sure. So willing, so desperate to dance for the prosperity of the people because what else could he do? Ushijima described how they fought.

“I was angry. I told him that he was throwing away his worthless pride and his life for something that might not even work. But he went anyway. He left me with the words ‘Don’t you forget my worthless pride!’” he paused, a stiff smile on his features. “I regretted it so much. He left me angry. I had to make it up to him so I polished off my father’s sword and set about to helping him out as much as I could.”

Suga looked at Ushijima, feeling a greater understanding for things. “You’re the warrior in the stories aren’t you? You struck him down and gave Oikawa his chance?”

“Yes. But I never saw Oikawa again. I’m cursed by whatever the Beast Dancers summon to keep the Beast here. I am kept here too.”

Suga nodded in quiet understanding. He took the book back carefully. “Thank you Ushijima. I don’t know what I can do though…”

“You know the music. I heard you singing it. Oikawa must have written it down for a reason.” There was no explanation written along with it. Nor was there an explanation with the flower that also appeared on the tree outside.

“Ushijima… do you think the Beast Dancers go to paradise?” he asked quietly, fearing the answer.

“No. I’ve seen all of them die. It’s slow and painful. The Grand Priest takes them into his room and they never come out and a tree blooms outside the temple. It would be nice if they did though… I think I would like to think Oikawa went to paradise.”

Ennoshita appeared at that moment, finding them sitting on the floor. The hour had gotten later than expected and Ushijima sat up, bowing respectfully before leaving. Suga watched him go, an ache in his chest and tears rolling down his cheeks.

“S-Suga! What’s wrong? Did Ushijima upset you?” he asked taking his friend into his arms. Suga sobbed for both Ushijima and Oikawa. It was so cruel! So horrible! Everyone was being lied to but no one would believe either of them. Sobs wracked his body for the both of them.

Ennoshita squeezed his friend in distress. “Suga can I help in any way? Are you in pain? You need to dance soon” he tried to soothe and reason, rubbing his back. Suga shook his head and nuzzled close into his shoulder, tears of sadness turning to tears of frustration. There had to be something…. Something….

The song!

He pulled out the book and shoved it at Ennoshita. “The melody in here! I need you to get the priests to sing it!” he begged. “Please! You must get them to sing this one instead! Maybe not tonight! But soon! Please! Get the guards to sing it if you have to!” His fingers gripped Ennoshita’s robes tightly with vigour.

Ennoshita found himself taken aback by Suga’s newly found passion, watching him stand back and dry his eyes, scrambling for clothes to dance in. “Wait Suga… no not those ones… The Grand priest will…”

“AAARGH SCREW WHAT HE THINKS!” Suga yelled shoving on whatever was most comfortable for him to dance in. Whatever he thought Daichi would like. Orange, he went today with a bright orange and gold ensemble. Something bright and cheerful and utterly outrageous. Ennoshita couldn’t help but feel baffled and endeared by Suga’s new found energy. A laugh bursting from his lips at Suga’s extreme disrespect towards the Grand Priest. Maybe Hinata had rubbed off on him? He didn’t even have time to get a word in before Suga was ready to march through the doors to whatever lay beyond.

“I’ll be back in the morning. Please take care of me then” he said, turning to smile brightly at Ennoshita, not letting him get a word in before going through the doors and down the steps, purification ceremony be damned.

Daichi could tell there was something different about Suga today. From the way he marched down the stairs with a new found confidence and a cheeky glint in his eye it warmed his heart. He looked up from his spot on the floor, tail wagging as a sign of happiness to see Suga. Suga looked radiant as he began his nightly dance. The orange silks twirling around him like flames sparking off his body.

He kicked so elegantly into the air, an arch of silk and cloth spreading from the centre out in a glorious fashion. Suga twirled and leapt and twisted, each time he landed the bells on his hips and shoulders would chime, sending a shiver down Daichi’s spine. He wanted nothing more than to discover more about this beauty, so that he may spend time with Suga and so Daichi began to dream. Maybe in time when all of this was over, they would sit together in the sunshine, enjoying the land together, Suga would dance and they would discover one another, free of the sadness, free of the pain of this curse.

But the curse reared its ugly head again. The mark of the Grand Priest, the glyph that was sapping them all slowly but surely. It took hold of Suga yet again. Daichi watched his eyes glaze over from his position chained to the wall. Unable to voice his despair. Unable to pluck his sweet dancer from harm’s way. It was always painful to watch but tonight Suga fell sooner than he ever did before. He would try to prop himself up on hands and knees, a sense of realization falling over his features. Frustration and agony as each breath shuddered through his body. Every wheeze, every gasp. He would claw at the ground to try and rise up, gain some dignity, teeth gritted, awareness not quite fully there. The spell that the glyph cast trying to hold Suga in its grip and Suga fought oh he did fight. The blood that spattered out of his mouth with a cough onto the glyph sizzled away on the markings. Daichi prayed that Suga would just come close enough for him to drag over to his warm protection. Not tonight.

The dark tendrils burst out of the ground and pierced themselves deep within Suga and he screamed. Oh gosh did he scream. Daichi could only howl in response, hoping that somewhere Suga knew that he was crying with him. He had yet again failed. So many dancers he had seen meet their match this way. Coming in so bright and full of life before becoming puppets to the Grand Priest, dancing their pretty dances. Some would beg them to kill him near the end. If he didn’t hurry Suga may be one of those ones. He didn’t want to think of it. But if Suga asked him he would do so but he was so close. So close and then the Grand Priest entered the room, descending from the stairs, dripping black tar from his form with every step he took.

There he was, a smile on his lips as he picked Suga up off the floor with a chuckle, fangs flashing. He knew that this time he was close yet again. He knew that Suga’s light was fading quickly. He had to hurry. Suga just needed to free him and together they would be able to rid the land of the sickness that was the Grand Priest. Daichi growled and snapped. He wanted to tell him that this time things would be different, that he would be defeated and banished from existence. But he couldn’t. He was only a beast.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Story time with Ushijima! Maybe not as happy as you would have liked. But what of Oikawa? Hmmmm???
> 
> Thank you all so much for your kind comments and kudos! They really make my day! It's really wonderful to see you all enjoying this wee fic of mine. I'd really love to hear what you think!
> 
> Please feel free to chat with me on my Tumblr- I'm Rinoa11 there. I post updates of when I post fic so if you want to stay up to date, there is where you'll find out first!
> 
> Have a lovely day!


	8. Rewriting the Dance

Ennoshita could hardly believe what he saw when he came into Suga’s room that morning. For starters it was a mess, bedsheets strewn all over the place. That may be normal if Suga was a messy sleeper but it was the blood spotted from his mouth and the tar, those were the things that caused Ennoshita alarm.

Black sticky tar handprints and footprints all over the room and Suga’s body. He was breathing like a bird that had been plucked from the sky by a cruel hunter, chest fluttering painfully. Something had to give! He thought of Suga’s words last night, his confidence, his smile. He had no choice but to follow them through, if he could change the song of the priests then maybe things would get better. The blue book thankfully remained hidden away but years of scribal training gave Ennoshita the tools to be able to recall exactly what was written on those pages. He could see the music staff and the notes in his mind, crystal clear, remembering the way Suga told him about his mother and her nomadic ways. His fingers itched to write it down and transcribe it for all to hear. He could check it later, he would check it later but Suga’s small form, so weak and fragile needed his care now. Instead of writing, which he would do later, he ran a bath to get the tar off. He peeked outside the doors and saw Asahi standing straight and pale with horror, Ennoshita didn’t notice him when he came in but he wanted to ask if Asahi could get him some cleaning tools so that he could fix the room before Suga woke up.

“What’s wrong my friend?” he asked, reconsidering his request. Asahi relaxed for a moment when Ennoshita placed soothing hands on his shoulders but the horror was still embossed clearly onto his face.

“A-A Demon…” he stuttered, keeping his voice quiet enough for only the two of them to hear. “I was coming down the corridor a-a-and….” Asahi squeezed his eyes shut and curled his fists up tight. He shook his head, he was so afraid.

Ennoshita embraced the larger man, an awkward thing for him to do at their heights but the way Asahi relaxed once again made the gesture worth it. “It’s alright Asahi… I am here. Please tell me, what did you see?”

“I saw a demon leaving Suga’s room. Dripping tar and blood. I wanted to rush in… I-I wanted to help! B-but I was scared! And then you came along! And…and I am still scared! I am a coward!” he rambled, finishing off in a pitiful sob.

Ennoshita felt his heart harden. Had the Beast escaped? Was this even the Beast known in legends or was this a different thing altogether? It couldn't have been the beast. He was downstairs, the seal hadn't been broken. Ennoshita quickly went over everything he knew. Given the time of the visitor and the impossibility of the Beast having escaped (if he had, they'd all be doomed surely?) it must be someone else. Most likely the Grand Priest. His gut told him that this was probably the case and if it were, they would need to act quickly. He breathed in and collected his thoughts for a moment, stroking soothing circles into Asahi’s back.

“No… you are not a coward. Lesser men would have fled and never returned. You stayed here because you wanted to help Suga. Correct?” Asahi nodded fiercely. Ennoshita raised his hand to stroke the man’s cheek with a gentle smile. “Then you are not a coward. But I do need you to help me” Asahi nodded again.

“Here is what I need you to do, my friend” Ennoshita started, stepping back and looking at the guard straight on. “I need you to go gather some cleaning tools and new bedsheets for me. There is a mess inside Suga’s room and I do not want to stress him out when he wakes up. He is weak enough as it is.” Asahi nodded, straightening up.

“I can do that!” he replied, his self-confidence returning.

Ennoshita smiled warmly and nodded, feeling a sense of leadership and responsibility take hold. “I then need you to get Ushijima for me. He seems to have an understanding with Suga and I think in this situation it would be comforting for him to have Ushijima close by. And then… only then, I need you to gather for me some paper and ink. I have something that I need to do for Suga. Can you write?”

Asahi blinked and took a moment to think about what Ennoshita just asked of him. His writing skills. “I-I can a little” he replied. He knew enough to get by reading instructions and writing replies.

Ennoshita smiled and nodded. “Then once we have gathered the materials you can help me.” He watched Asahi go and soon after return with what he had asked in terms of cleaning equipment.

When he had finished cleaning Suga’s room and cleaned Suga himself up in the bath that had gone lukewarm, Ushijima returned. He said nothing but seemed to instantly understand what was needed of him, standing watchfully at the doorway as Asahi returned with bottles of ink, quills and large wads of writing paper. Ennoshita nodded and sat down at the desk, motioning for Asahi to sit next to him.

“Watch me and do as I do” he said before silently drafting up the musical score from memory. Asahi nodded and soon carefully set about to copying Ennoshita as best he could. 

A comfortable silence fell over the room until Suga woke up. Only the sounds of their breathing and the gentle scratches of the quills on the paper filled the room. Every so often Ennoshita would hum and Asahi would pause to brush a strand of hair from his eyes. Asahi would chew on his lip and Ennoshita would gently peer over at Asahi it check his work before smiling and nodding in approval. Asahi smiled in return, a sense of pride and usefulness rising in his chest. He wanted to help Suga just as much as everyone else.

It was with a groan that this silence ended as Suga rose from his slumber, chest aching, skin burning, eyes bleary. The world slowly came into focus and he saw the small workshop that had been set up in the corner of his room, with Ushijima standing guard. Something had happened but what he didn’t know.

Suga watched Asahi and Ennoshita scribble away quietly from his perch on the bed. Ushijima sent a small smile of encouragement his way as he nodded to the breakfast that sat next to him. It seemed like they were doing what he asked last night. Spread the song and change it.

“I don’t understand why we are doing this” Asahi said, carefully placing another finished page down.

“If I can get the priests to sing a different song, then maybe we can make things better for good. If we could get the guards to join in that would be even better.” Suga replied. It wasn’t much and Asahi had no reason to trust them but he could see the conviction in Suga’s eyes. A nod and then he returned to work and Suga began to mull over what he could and should do.

The Grand Priest… he would surely object. He would surely happily do everything in his power to stop him. He was the only one here who eluded Suga, tried to control everything he did, watched him and unnerved Ennoshita and Ushijima. This tradition was wrong. Everything was wrong. Daichi was unjustly being kept a prisoner and for what?

Maybe if he… He stopped and looked at the people in the room for a moment over his cup of tea. They wouldn’t be happy for him to get up so soon. But if he snuck away, if he could sneak inside the Grand Priest’s room and find something… anything! Maybe he would understand why the Beast Dancers went there to die? His gut told him that he would find what he needed there.

Ushijima noticed Suga’s restlessness and raised an eyebrow, escorting him from the room.

“I need to go upstairs” Suga said this while looking at Ushijima. Ushijima’s small smile turned into a line of concern. “I need to go upstairs and see what he’s doing… I feel that if I can do this, maybe I can find something out, a way to free us.”

“I don’t think that’s the wisest decision you’ve made” Ushijima replied, keeping his voice low so they to attract any attention. “I told you that the Beast Dancers go there to die”

“I know… but something has to give Ushjima! I’ve spent too long thinking about things, sitting down here… I just need to do something!”

Ushijima frowned. He could be inviting doom by going where the Beast Dancers go to die but maybe he could find something else. Suga had changed so many things simply by being here. Maybe this time it would be different, maybe he would find out what happened to Oikawa. As long as he was careful, maybe it would be okay.

Silence was followed by a singular nod. “I trust in you Suga. Please be careful.” His voice was deep and firm, he gripped Suga’s shoulder tightly for a moment and then let go. If Suga needed him, if Suga called for him, he would come running. It was the least he could do.

It was time for Suga to strike while the iron was hot, while Ennoshita was too busy to talk him out of his foolish plan. If he was back in time to do the ritual Ennoshita would likely never know. It wasn’t unusual for Suga to disappear for hours on end.

He climbed the staircase up to the second floor of the temple. His surroundings grew more lavish than he thought it were possible as he crept carefully along the corridors to the grand doorway of the Grand Priest’s room. Every time someone passed him by he would hide behind a large pot or a marble pillar. Blessed by his light feet from dancing, he was thankfully not caught.

He took a deep breath and said a silent prayer before entering the room, tiptoeing ever so carefully inside to find a mausoleum of riches. In the far corner of the room he could see a thick curtain and hear the loud snoring of the Grand Priest. Carefully sniffing the air he could smell something acrid and rotting before his eyes focused on a puddle of tar and blood all mixed together on the floor near the curtain. Suga covered his mouth to hold in a gasp. What was that?!

But then he felt a shiver run down his spine, something… no someone was calling to him. A faint voice inside his head. He turned towards a cabinet. A large wooden one, with trees engraved on the front, and symbols matching ones on the glyph downstairs. He could feel a great power coming from inside.

He checked that the Grand Priest still slept. The snoring continued. So Suga carefully reached out to touch the handles and opened the cabinet as softly as he could, letting out a teal blue glow as he did so.

It took every fibre in Suga’s being not to scream at what he saw. Inside the cabinet was a young man. The way his expression was frozen in an eternal peace told him that he was dead. Crystalized in a glowing blue gem, forever to be young, forever asleep. Marks from the Glyph were carved into the stone. The power emanating from him was unmistakable, probably the very way that the Glyph continued to glow, even when they did not dance. Perhaps this was the very thing that was taking Suga’s life away as he danced? Sucking the life away from the earth. All for the Grand Priest.

Suga’s horror was replaced by heartbreak as he understood. The way that the young man was dressed the flowers in his brown hair, the way that he would never breathe again. Even if they broke the crystal, even if they were to fix this, he would never live again. He was well and truly dead. Pale fingers reached out to touch him, not entirely knowing why he was compelled to and on contact he felt a vision flow through his mind and a voice call out to him.

“You must dance with him” the voice called, the image in his mind showing him the man inside the crystal, reach out to touch his hands. “To break the curse on us all and free us, you must dance with him. Please… you do not have much time. Hurry!” Suga opened his eyes in a flash carefully shut the cabinet. He fled silently from the room, running down the stairs and back to his room, intercepted by Ushijima’s arms and a questioning look.

“There’s a man… a young man… dressed like me…. With brown hair and flowers in his hair… in the closet. Dead! The Grand Priest is syphoning power from him… the Glyph… the Crystal….” Suga gasped and shook in Ushijima’s arms babbling himself into incoherence. He gripped Ushijima's arms tightly and looked up at him, eyes wide. “I must dance… dance with him… I must…. I have to break the curse!”

Ushijima nodded grimly. He closed his eyes tightly, his head bowed and his shoulders shook. He wanted to ask Suga to clarify what he saw. Who the young man was but in his heart he knew. That was Oikawa. He had sacrificed himself and become the ultimate tool, his soul trapped here like his own until the curse was broken. Everything Ushijima had feared. It wasn’t fair. He didn’t realize that his good intentions would be warped in this way and now he was trapped. Probably unable to move on to the next world, just like him.

“We will change the song Suga. I swear it. You only need to dance and we will change our fates.” Ushijima’s voice was husky with emotion. He looked Suga in the eye and squeezed his shoulder.

Suga nodded, before enveloping Ushijima in a comforting embrace. He couldn’t even fathom what he was feeling, the pain, the sorrow that must be deep in his heart. It was only right that he be a shoulder for him to cry on, a support for him in this dark time. But Ushijima smiled a little, patting Suga on the head. He would mourn later.

Upon returning to Suga’s room the pair found Ennoshita and Asahi still at the desk writing. Hinata now joined them, doing his best at organizing the music into piles to be handed out before rushing out to deliver them to the priests.

It was a haphazard plan but it was the only plan they had. Any longer they waited and Suga would surely die. The Grand Priest had become something utterly demonic. Ennoshita wondered that if the Grand Priest was always supposed to be this way. If he was the reason behind this false tradition. He knew that they did not have long. Tonight would have to be the night that Suga finishes it.

“I only fear about the Beast now. It’s all very well stopping the Grand Priest but if the Beast comes out to destroy us all… what are we to do?” Ennoshita mused. Asahi nodded and hummed in agreement. They didn’t know anything about what happened downstairs. It was funny how little they knew. Sad and frightening. To be ruled by fear for so long when the Beast downstairs was only a man. Well more than a man but he was not the monster that they needed to fear.

“You do not need to fear the Beast at all. I will take care of him. He will not destroy us. I am certain of it” Suga said this as he began to look through the cabinets of his room for clothes for tonight. For the final ritual. He couldn’t stand to stay still while everyone else was doing their best to disperse the music throughout the temple. He could only hope that they would sing the melody. He could only hope that Daichi that would be freed. Suga didn't know who he needed to dance with. He just needed to trust in his training and instincts. 

He could only hope that his strength would hold up. All his life Suga had been trained for this. If breaking this curse was to be his purpose in life, then so be it. Ushijima reached over and put a hand on his shoulder as if sensing what he was thinking, as if he was pleading that he wouldn’t end up like Oikawa. Not another one lost. Not one so bright and dazzling as Suga. He had so much to give, so much to live for, so much joy. But if his life was what it took, then that was what he was prepared to do. Suga feared that he may not have a choice. They all did.

Asahi and Ennoshita finally had used up all the paper they could and Hinata had scattered the paper throughout the temple. Ushijima had ordered all the guards under his jurisdiction to sing the song. The hour of the ritual was approaching. Suga was dressed in ceremonial clothing. The stage was set. In minutes the bell would toll, in minutes they would see if they were successful. All they had now, was hope.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Dun dun duuuuun! I think the end is nigh! Oikawa has finally made his much anticipated appearance! Who woulda thunk it?
> 
> Thank you all so much for your kind comments and kudos! They really make my day! It's really wonderful to see you all enjoying this wee fic of mine. I'd really love to hear what you think!
> 
> Please feel free to chat with me on my Tumblr- I'm Rinoa11 there. I post updates of when I post fic so if you want to stay up to date, there is where you'll find out first!
> 
> Have a lovely day!


	9. The Beast Dance

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter contains NSFW content.

Suga waited calmly, dressed in silver from head to toe. The silk seemed to melt like liquid off of his pale body as he stood there at the top of the staircase, hoping and praying that their message had been heard and heeded by everyone in the temple. Ennoshita, Ushijima, Hinata and Asahi stood behind him, waiting with bated breath for the bell to toll and sure enough it did.

The bell’s ringing faded away and slowly but surely a different melody, the melody that Oikawa had written began to be sung out loud and clear throughout the temple. A wave of joy passed through Suga as he silently thanked them all but that joy faded quickly as a roar was heard from far away. A ghastly monstrous roar, nothing like Daichi’s. Suga had no choice but to run down into the depths of the temple, down to the chamber where Daichi was held. They had no time to waste.

Suga quickly took up position in the middle of the dark cavern, the new melody guiding his heart. It gave him a newfound strength that he had lacked and a renewed need to dance. The silvery silk veils trailed on the ground as he quickly stepped into the dance his heart told him to do. From the dim light that came from the flames that began to light the room, white hot flames, he could see that Daichi was still a Beast for now. Once he began he hoped that this would change.

To his delight as soon as he stepped on the glyph it began to change colour, from the deep purple glow to a silvery white light. Spinning, twisting arms high into the air he danced. His body rolled and twirled around like he was made of a mercury river. Silver and fluid, sparkling and twinkling like a shooting star flashing through the air. A new trance took over Suga as he felt an ember light up inside him, a newfound power. It coursed throughout his veins, filling him with a heady warmth as his hips swayed and swished in time with the sweet melody. If he could just focus it he might be able to release Daichi.

Upstairs things couldn’t be any different. What used to be the Grand Priest now was a monster of unknown horrors. A great snake like being with black tar melting off of his body and sizzling to the ground, rotting everything in its wake. Any grass in the courtyard, any one he encountered melted away at his acidic touch.

Ushijima drew his sword along with Hinata and Asahi to defend Ennoshita and the door downstairs until Suga was ready. Asahi felt himself tremble and quake at the Grand Priest. He still held enough his human features in his face to make him recognizable but his body had now become stronger, more powerful, more monstrous. From the destruction he left simply by stepping places, he would be very tough to defeat. The fear grew in Asahi’s heart and came out of his mouth in the form of Oikawa’s song. He sang it loudly to try and convince himself to be brave but did not expect the Monster before them to roar and screech in pain, covering his ears. Everyone else in the room caught on, beginning to sing the song in order to chase the Grand Priest out of Suga’s room and into the courtyard. However, as soon as the Grand Priest reached the courtyard, all the grass, all the water, all the greenery died and shrivelled up in his presence and he grew taller and more powerful looking as it did but still they sang. If they could keep him trapped in the courtyard, maybe Suga could defeat him.

Suga’s hand reached out for Daichi, still in his beast form. He took a deep breath and quietly began to sing along with the sweet melody that filtered from above and touched the chains that bound him to this cursed place. To his delight they melted away in a flash of white sparkles. His instinct had been right! The warm feeling remained in his veins as Suga looked Daichi straight in the eyes. His heart beat fast as he hoped that this would be enough to change Daichi back. Instead of changing though, The Beast grumphed at him and motioned with his head for Suga to get on his back. Suga did not hesitate, pale thighs carefully gripping Daichi’s back and hands gripping tightly onto his dark fur. Daichi then turned around once and began to run, gaining momentum before leaping over the glyph that once prevented him from leaving and ran up the stairs into Suga’s room and out into the courtyard where Suga’s friends were fiercely defending themselves from the Grand Priest’s wrath.

Ennoshita leapt back with a shout as he clocked the Beast Suga rode in on. Heralded by the bells and crystals on his clothing chiming and the thunderous beat of the Beast’s paws as Suga came closer until they were at the courtyard. Suga gracefully climbed off like he had been doing this his whole life and sent a radiant smile Ennoshita’s way. Ennoshita dare not speak a word until this was done, lest he disturb the aura he could feel around Suga. A white silvery hot power, pure and clean, a perfect contrast to the Grand Priest’s rotten heart.

Ushijima felt nostalgic as soon as he saw Suga stand fearlessly in the face of the Grand Priest, his veils whipping back majestically in his acrid breath. The time was now. He had to dance lest he die.

And sure enough, Suga did dance. His sensual, pale body doing a perfect job at keeping the Grand Priest fixated so that he would not attack his friends. His kicks and twirls showing off glimpses pale skin to the Monster. He was so tempting, so desirable that he did not realize his plan of distraction while he was figuring out who he had to dance with would cause him more trouble than good.

The Grand Priest’s dark magic began to seep into his mind, showing him horrible visions of his own enslavement and servitude to the Grand Priest. His dark and devilish desires making themselves known. Suga’s sickness and weakness came to surface once again at these visions as the Grand Priest promised him terrible things.

 _“I could heal you and you would rule this land at my side”_ he hissed in his mind, a voice tinged with venom and death.

But Ennoshita saw his friend stumble and fall, rushing to his aide as the Beast crashed into the Grand Priest’s side with a terrifying roar.

“I have to keep dancing!” Suga cried, pushing himself back up on his hands and knees.  Ennoshita picked him back up and to Suga’s utmost surprise placed his hands on his hips and raised him into a lift while doing so. Suga’s legs elegantly extended to counterbalance and he landed on his feet finding that Ennoshita was dancing alongside him.

“I will help you” he said, trying to copy Suga’s movements. His dancing was not as fluid but the firey determination was there. If there was something he could do for his friend, even if it might not mean much, he would do it.

They watched in awe as Daichi battled the Grand Priest, their large forms colliding and clashing with each other with roars and hisses but still the Grand Priest continued to bombard Suga with mental images that made his stomach twist and clench and his head feel piercing hot agony.

Asahi stopped Suga from faltering once again, extending his arms out gently and spinning Suga around as he too joined in the dance. His dance was small and self-contained movements the leather in between his armour creaking and squeaking in a satisfying way. Suga spun around and joined hands with him smiling gratefully before spinning away to continue.

But Asashi and Ennoshita were not the ones he was supposed to dance with yet they lent him their strength, fortifying him against the poisonous words and images. He could feel the haze come over him, eyes closing as he focused inwardly.

Ennoshita twisted around in a spin feeling mildly dizzy as he did but his eyes focused on Suga as something magical began to happen. In the dimming of the day he began to glow like a pale moonbeam as his energy lashed around the courtyard, filling them all with warmth and a feeling of protection. Ennoshita focused his own energy into dancing and praying for Suga’s safety as the melody continued. Priests and guards alike had gathered at the outer echelons to watch the spectacle of the Beast and the monster Grand Priest battle it out.

But then something utterly unexpected happened. The Grand Priest had been knocked back into the fountain with a vicious roar from the Beast, but his tail shot out to trip Suga over, grabbing him into a tight grip to keep him still and stop him dancing. Suga let out a scream of agony as he scrabbled desperately in attempts to escape the scally coil.

“ _You will be mine! This land will be mine! Let me consume you! Offer yourself up to me!”_ Suga could only struggle and scream to try and force himself out of the Grand Priest’s grip, the longer he stayed there the longer he would hear the words that brought forth the deepest darkest fears he held.

It was time for the hero of the days of yore to come forth. Ushijima drew his sword and ran at the monster with a fearsome undercut, slashing the Monster. The Beast let out a roar so deafening and terrifying that time seemed to stand still for a moment as the sword of Ushijima and Daichi’s claws pierced the skin of the Grand Priest, releasing black tarry liquid in a hiss.

Suga was pulled free by Hinata who joined in the dance to. He was like a little bird flitting and flapping around him, trying to find his grace and maybe not quite achieving it but his enthusiasm made up for any lack of skill he had. Suga felt Hinata’s warm spirit fill his breast as he found the strength to carry on.

It was a marvel that the Grand Priest still stood after that attack but Suga knew it would not be enough to merely attack him. If he were any other beast, any other man, he would have died right then and there. He should have died right then and there. The Grand Priest however had lived for so long that he would continue to heal and regenerate using energy that he had taken from him during all of his dances and all of the other Beast Dancers that had danced before. It would not be enough to simply strike him. It was so disheartening, so disenchanting. He should have fallen! Frustration welled up in Suga’s heart but he had to continue.

“I believe in you!” Hinata cheered, almost sensing Suga’s feelings faltering after the Grand Priest’s assault followed by Ushijima gently taking his hand, reverently carefully to lead him into a new part of the dance. It was an old and nostalgic feeling, warm and safe. Reassuring and strong. Ushijima’s smile was warm. “You can do this Suga” he quietly said. “We all believe in you and lend you our strength.” Ushijima released Suga again, all alone in the centre with his friends dancing around him to try and give him hope in this seemingly hopeless situation. He could do this. He had to do this. He could not give up now!

Suga threw his whole being into his dance. Every scrap of energy he could summon and draw up from his heart he would focus. The glow began to come back. Blinking and pulsing strongly. He spun, he leapt, he twirled and rolled. He gave everything he had. He could almost feel his heart trying to burst out of his chest in offering, his soul spilling out in order to fulfil what needed to be done and everyone else could see it to.

Suga would die if he continued but his friends did not dare stop their support. They couldn’t bear to falter and be the one to let Suga down.

“Daichi help me!” Suga cried, fear taking over him as he felt himself being lost to the air. He felt like if he kept dancing he would float away and never return, the glow consuming him. He had wanted to scream for help so many times downstairs, before the trance took total control of him he would plead for Daichi’s help. The Beast itself turned to face him after knocking the Grand Priest back and Suga reached his arms out to him, beckoning him, pleading with him.

Ennoshita watched as the Beast ran towards Suga and he was afraid that the Beast would hurt Suga but instead, right before his eyes a great energy was summoned forth. The fur seemed to melt away as the Beast stood on two legs to reveal a tanned, muscular man who glowed golden and reached out for Suga to catch him. He was a glorious, kingly sight to behold, one that almost took Ennoshita’s breath away. Chest bare, a long loincloth covering his lower half, bejewelled with golden topaz and golden chains to pair with Suga’s silver.

“You will not fade. I swear it” he said, taking Suga into his arms cradling him, supporting him in the dance. Daichi’s breath feathered so gently, so close to Suga’s face as his hands cupped his cheeks, trailing tenderly, reverently down his arms to reach his hands. Daichi’s fingers twined so carefully, so perfectly with Suga’s grounding him and levelling him. Stopping him from floating away into the nothingness he almost did. Their glows mixed and merged together, gold and silver as the dance became a perfect duet.

Hips rocked together in time, swishing in perfect synchronicity as they felt each other within the beat. They spun around each other, clapping their hands and stamping their feet as the dance became more lively and energetic. Daichi smiled encouragingly at Suga. There was no need for him to feel disheartened when they were working together. They swirled together, gold and silver leaping and soaring, ducking and rippling. Suga felt a laugh burst forth, a perfect accompaniment to something so joyful.

Ushijima and the others came to a standstill when it was clear that Suga no longer needed them. The Beast would take care of everything. They would place their trust in them.

Ennoshita watched from the sidelines, continuing to sing with the priests as Ushijima, Hinata and Asahi did their best to defend Daichi and Suga’s surprisingly intimate dance. The Grand Priest was beginning to weaken, stuck to the spot by the powerful magic the pair had cast with their dance. He was growing smaller in stature little by little with agonizing, horrifying screams signalling the pain he was feeling. Ennoshita darkly thought that he deserved more than this, more pain, more agony, for the horrors he inflicted on Suga and the rest of the Beast Dancers.

Ennoshita instead decided to focus on the pair dancing before him, lest his dark thoughts consume him and disrupt the spell. Daichi and Suga clearly had a strong bond with one another, one that was formed through understanding of each other’s pain and fears. Kindness and trust filled their touches. Noses grazed each other as Daichi picked Suga up by his hips to spin him around his body with graceful, powerful ease.

The Grand Priest roared once more and lunged towards them both but as Suga’s feet hit the ground a crack burst forth from the ground.

“Let’s finish this” he said, gently cupping Daichi’s face in his hands, heart racing and fluttering like a bird trying to find flight, like Suga wishing to free himself and everyone else in the temple from these bonds. Daichi nodded with a smile and turned his head to kiss Suga’s palm. Over the music, they could hear a faint rushing which turned into a rumble which turned into a roar.

Water.

It burst forth from the ground, cracking and creating islands from the temple. Around him Suga watched the priests, the guards, his dear friends all scramble up onto the rocks and hold onto each other for safety as the pieces of ground began to float. He watched the Grand Priest try to swim, he watched the Grand Priest melt away gone from this world finally.

They were free! However on this realization he found that he did not hold tight enough onto Daichi, he did not have his feet as firmly on the ground as he should have and as a large wave came from the Grand Priest’s demise, so too came his final mark of revenge. Suga slipped and fell into the water, sinking down into the depths, into the deep blue darkness.

Suga tried to swim up, he tried to escape his watery prison but after all that dancing, all the hard work he put in for his friends, for his family, for his people, he was tired. Maybe it would be alright if he gave up now? Maybe he could just rest here in the blissfully cold water? He could see pillars and marble and tapestries sink down along with him into the never ending darkness. The light above him fading further and further away slowly.

Yes. This was enough. Oxygen was hard to come by down here as he gasped and choked for air. It hurt. But this was enough, he had enough of the pain he felt. He only regretted that he would never see the fields of flowers Daichi’s dance had promised him.

But as he closed his eyes, giving himself away to his fate he heard a voice call out to him.

“No! You mustn’t give up!” it cried. When he opened his eyes he saw Oikawa, glowing in teal blue, flowers in his hair swimming towards him to plant an air giving kiss on his lips. “You mustn’t give in! I won’t let you!” Sweet air filled Suga’s starved lungs and he felt himself being pulled upwards towards the light of the land.

He was on land, he could hear people gasping and cry out but in his haze he didn’t know what. The blue glow was still surrounding him as he sat up and coughed up all the water from his lungs. Warm hands, strong hands supported his back as his vision cleared. There was Daichi and all of his friends and Ushijima on his knees, tears of elation in his eyes. Oikawa had come back for him.

Oikawa’s spirit floated before them all in his teal blue glory, silk and crystals and flowers hanging from his ethereal form.

“Thank you Suga. You saved us all” he said with a smile before reaching his hand out to Ushijima, beckoning him towards him. “The curse is broken and we are free. The land shall grow again.” Ushijima stood and walked towards him, a purple glow surrounding him with a smile before he took Oikawa’s face within his hands, placing a sweet kiss on his lips. One that he had wished to give him for thousands of years.

“Let’s go find a new home together” he murmured before kissing Oikawa again. Oikawa laughed and flung his arms around Ushijima’s neck, nuzzling an Eskimo kiss towards him.

“Yes! I hear paradise is quite nice” Oikawa lilted in return, before turning towards Suga and the rest of them. “I would love to stay but my body is long gone and my soul is tired, so it’s time for me to say goodbye.”

Ushijima parted from Oikawa for a moment to kneel again beside Suga, taking his hand and kissing it reverently. “Thank you. It has been a pleasure to know you” he looked up and smiled at Asahi, Ennoshita and Hinata. “To know all of you. I too am tired. I have been waiting for so long to reunite with my beloved. I am afraid I will be leaving you all to go to with him.”

Suga reached up to cup Ushijima’s cheek. “Thank you my friend. Please rest now. You have my blessing” he said, watching as Ushijima rose to return to Oikawa’s side, his arm holding Oikawa comfortably around the shoulder. “Goodbye both of you. I pray your travels are safe.”

Daichi comfortably held Suga in silence as the glowing pair nodded and waved with a smile, disappearing in sparkles and flowers. He looked down to see that the last Beast Dancer shed tears. He had worked so hard for them all. It was clear to see that he would miss Oikawa and Ushijima but it was time for them to move on. The morning sun rose above the horizon, the night had ended along with the reign of the Grand Priest. They had hope now. It was time they use it to rebuild.

Time passed and many things changed within the land. Green forests swiftly came back. Daichi revealed that he had once been the guardian god of this land. His power flowed freely once he had been released, returning the water, grass and forests to the region.

A few months had passed since the temple fell. Ennoshita had managed to salvage all of the books from the temple and began a library for people to enjoy. Asahi gave up being a guard and became a farmer with Hinata at his side. They both proudly tended to orchards of apple trees that grew sweet and juicy apples for the land to enjoy.

Suga was lauded as a hero throughout the land. People often came by on a pilgrimage to pay him tribute for his dancing and on a festival, people would flock from far and wide to witness Suga’s beautiful dances blessing the land.

After one such festival night Daichi had managed to pull Suga away, telling the people that the gods sook an audience with him. They ran away from the festivities like a pair of cheeky teenagers, giggling and mischievous. Soon their lips and hands followed suit in the mischief with kisses so sweet and touches so tantalising that Suga could only release sweet moans into the heady night air.

Daichi laid Suga down in the middle of a field that was still empty. Their frolicking had led them all the way out of town and to a clearing in the middle of the forest across a rock bridge. No one quite knew what to do with this spot, the spot where the temple once stood in the middle of the lake but Daichi had an idea of what he wanted to do in it, a devilish glint in his eyes.

Suga laughed and wrapped his arms around Daichi’s neck, pulling him down into a passionate kiss, still dressed in the silken robes of his festival wear. They were white fading into a pale blue.

Daichi’s hips pressed down onto Suga’s confirming exactly what sort of godly communion he required. “I would love for some tribute” he murmured huskily into Suga’s ear, nipping gently afterwards before trailing searing hot kisses down his neck, causing Suga’s toes to curl delightfully. Hands roamed and drew shivers from their bodies in reverent touches full of appreciation and respect.

“I would be happy to provide, my lord” Suga responded, with a distinct cheekiness to his voice. The people thought that he served Daichi and worshipped him fully but both of them knew that without Suga, Daichi wouldn’t have seen the light of day again. The worship was mutual.

Their homemade ritual continued with kisses and rocking. Suga rose up from the ground to gently push Daichi down and take control, peppering kisses of his own on Daichi’s clavicle, leaving marks as Daichi’s fingernails gently raked up and down Suga’s back, removing any ceremonial clothing in the process.

The soft silks and satins, bells and baubles melted off their forms to leave them both bare and utterly naked in this still untouched field. The beauty of the natural, unspoilt landscape was nothing to Daichi in comparison to the way Suga looked in front of him, smiling, healthy and blushing ever so slightly. A hand covering his chest with a small blush and a pout.

“You’re staring _my lord_ ” he chided with a whine before Daichi’s hands reached out for his waist to pull him close, hips meeting hips.

“It’s hard not to _my dancer_ ” he responded, intent on kissing Suga some more until he giggled and felt love light a hot spark in his chest.

Daichi took his time with opening up Suga’s soul and spirit. They had all the time in the world for their communion. He took great pleasure in every gasp, every shiver, every flinch that Suga made as his tongue and hands roamed pale smooth skin until his fingers entered inside Suga, eliciting a breathy moan. His nature magic brought forth a slickness to make the process easier and more enjoyable as Suga bloomed in his hands like a flower. His hard cock gently bobbing up like a flower in the morning with dew drops on its head. Daichi took the blushing member into his mouth and suckled on it until Suga keened, hands roughly balling up in his hair. Daichi’s fingers made deft work of slowly but surely easing him open, feeling for the spot that made Suga gasp and curse.

“F-FUCK!” He had found it.

However his true reward was when he looked back up at Suga, saliva and pre-cum dribbling from the corner of his mouth, to see him blissed out and hazy in the sensations Daichi was giving him. After all the pain and agony he went through to get here Daichi wanted nothing more than to service his most faithful and beloved. He made sure Suga was comfortable in the soft grass beneath him before taking his hands and pressing kisses to his fingers and his knuckles. “Are you ready my love?” he asked as he lined himself up to join with Suga in body and soul.

Suga smiled and nodded with an “Mmmhmm. Yes I’m ready. Please…. I want it.” His voice was breathy and small, his body still shivering from the sensations before. And then Daichi pressed in and it was so good. It was always so good, so full, so complete. He saw stars and sparkles and felt an entirely different trance come over him. Nothing like dancing, like he was ascending. Up and up and up into the atmosphere with each thrust as Daichi brought him back home, into his arms, into his heart with every kiss and every movement. Suga’s toes curled and he clung so tight as they fucked hard and slowly in this world that was entirely their own.

He could feel a new energy being born inside him as pleasure coursed through every piece of him, tingling from the tips of his toes to the ends of his fingers. He sought out Daichi’s lips in a kiss as the waves hit him and the explosions dazzled behind his eyelids. He opened them to gaze deeply into Daichi’s own dark pools and saw himself reflected there. Then everything was so bright, the lethargy took hold and he was laid back down so softly so gently onto the grass, eyes closing but Daichi shuffled him onto his lap.

“Suga…. Open your eyes” he said, stroking Suga’s hair and kissing the back of his neck. Suga’s eyes fluttered open, his back resting firmly against Daichi’s chest to see a sight so wonderful so amazing that it brought tears to his eyes.

A sliver tree, just like the one he had seen in his dream had been born surrounded by a field of glowing white and blue flowers all reaching up towards the light of the full moon, the same colours in the clothes he had worn. A field of flowers and a silver tree. Daichi looked lovingly down at him and Suga knew that these were made all for him, inspired by him. He didn't know what to say. He tried to find words and instead reached up to cup Daichi's face and plant a sweet kiss of gratitude into his lips as they rested together in bliss. it was all Suga could have ever hoped for. It was all Suga had ever dreamed of and now he would get to share the field of moonflowers and the silver tree with Daichi and his friends forevermore.

The End

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> OH MY GOSH IT'S DONE! I can't believe it!
> 
> A tiny little mind fart turned into this and now I'm just... wow. 
> 
> Thank you all so so so much for reading this fic of mine! Your comments, your art, your kudos and well wishes have really been so wonderful and loved! I am so humbled and grateful that you have enjoyed my little piece of fanfic.
> 
> I'm also really sorry to everyone who begged for Oikawa to live! He was always going to be a goner right from the very moment I thought to include him. I'm sorry! (But at least he gets a happy afterlife with his lovely Ushijima, right right???)
> 
> I would especially like to thank my girlfriend for being so patient with me and allowing me to ramble on at her about all the different plot points that I struggled with. She was very calm and patient and so encouraging. I love her very dearly. This could not have been done without her. 
> 
> I would love to hear what you thought! Constructive criticism is always appreciated! If you want to yell at me on Tumblr I'm Rinoa11 there.
> 
> Thank you all so much on coming on this journey with me! I hope to see you in my next fic!


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